NST January 2020: A Turtle Quest

It's my birthday today, so we popped into town so bf could get me some perfume. Bodyshop always sends £5.00 voucher for my birthday & I won £7.00 on the scratchies my mum always sends me so I bought some facewash with the voucher & £3.50 of my winnings.
Bf then treated me to the cinema and 5guys, so I'm happy & full of burger.

Question everything: - Your habits :- Sax Practice. - Busy day today so no chance to practice.
Ugly, unloved or unused - Minimalist Challenge. Day 4 - Pool noodle, Kite, Poached egg maker, broken beard comb.
Exercise your mind and body. Lots of walking.
Savings.
Thankfulness. 1) Thankful for all my thoughtful presents. 2) Thankful.for the new Five Guys in town. 3) Thankful for a good film.

16 NSDS minimum. 2/31 NSD. Only spend was £3.50 from birthday money, so I think that's allowed.

Give. Money, time, food. A colleague is doing dry-january, so I will donate to her cause at the end of the month.

It's turned into a quiet pottering sort of day. Weather didn't look promising earlier so I decided against recommencing battle with the drains (may have to dig out the one in the backs as well) - still hoping Mr and Mrs Builder manage to squeeze me in before they depart in search of Winter sun.


Took a book back to the library and mum's old internet hub to be recycled (freepost packing). Thought I would leave shopping until after 3 pm hoping that most people would have headed for home by then. have started collecting various categories of rubbish and recycling. More charity donations to go (already checked and the bin in the library was empty).


Bathroom is in urgent need of cleaning and made a start by chucking stuff down the loo (empty bottle into recycling and a new one brought up from the shopping delivered last night). Have emptied the bath in stages and it's still not done (don't want it to pour through the crack in the kitchen ceiling).


Kitchen looks messy but think there is only a light surface layer to clear - remnants of all the things they have eaten whilst I've been away - empty packets and a couple of lumps of something stuck in a pool of fat in a foil tray.


I had quiche for breakfast, a head of celery plus hummus and garlic dip (the rest will be thrown away as I scraped a mouldy bit off the top yesterday and most of it had already been consumed) and the rest of my delicious curry later. All stuff I cooked/ brought back from mum's.


I have done lists of numbers for the 366 penny challenge and 'unloved, unused, unwanted' and done a clothes audit as I unpacked and put things away in drawers or on hangers. I've added N for new beside things I bought or started to wear in 2019 (some things were bought in end of season sales in 2018), O for old - items that are marked, have holes or look shabby and S for things that currently do not fit but am keeping (t shirt bought for my aunt's funeral 2 years ago is tight but I can get it on, camisole top fits but has lots of small buttons and my unruly bosom sometimes escapes, both will be fine if I lose a little more weight but are at the back of the drawer for now. I am on the lookout for a replacement for my lovely thick, cuddly cardigan but have enough things to layer up in cold weather to wait for the right garment to appear (preferably in a cs).


Went to get stamps and birthday cards for mum (her partner had 5 children, 7 grandchildren and we've lost count of the great grandchildren - just counted 17 and we've been told another is on the way). I have converted mum to the joys of the 29p card sometimes on offer at 4 for a £1 (she puts a £10 inside each child's). When I got to card factory they had the 10 for £1 offer, so I bought 20 (had been told to get 12 'cupcake, shopping, llamas' suitable for teenage girls- women and 4 for teen and upwards boys - I managed to get some number cards for this years younger birthdays on an earlier expedition). Mum has always been addicted to the 'yards of verse' cards and it's taken her a while to accept that you are lucky to find ones that say happy birthday and that most people don't care about the verse (think the ones I have bought previously must have been well received as she has asked for more of the same). Later I risked stepping inside t' works and they had 20 for a £1 so I bought another 20. We're probably covered for the next 3 months.


I spent a bit of money myself but have merely noted the presence of some items. I looked to see if Wilcos had any reductions on their own brand white ceramic and 'pyrex' type dishes. I have bought one or two of the large ones last year to use for roasting/ baking but am now thinking the smaller ones would be ideal for one portion meals/ pies etc (I try to look for DW/ microwave/ ovenproof ones) as I phase out plastic boxes. Most of mine are recycled takeaway boxes (consumed by DS3 and Beloved) but they are getting flimsier all the time and I'm lucky to get 3 uses out of them when they used to last for months. No offers however, so I can keep them in mind and pick up one or two at a time when I have a bit of spare cash.



I found £1.59 on the tray which holds my breathing machine and £1.22 on my bedside trolley this morning, so they have been tucked away in a drawer and I have crossed those amounts off the penny challenge list. I think they were found as I tidied before Christmas - odd pennies under the bed, hidden in corners or dropped in the bottom of bags when shopping.


Used some of my kindness superpower today chatting to an old lady who was obviously a bit lonely - her son has been in the navy for over 20 years and his wife isn't friendly and hasn't visited her for over 7 years. When they do come back they always stay with the d-i-l's parents. So instead of exchanging a few words (we were sitting on the same bench in the shopping centre) I stayed for about half an hour.


Today I am grateful for enjoying my own company (I need to make an effort to mix with others), for food from stores and that DS1 and darling d-i-l have passed their home inspection with flying colours so may be getting the puppy soon.

A spend day today as bought petrol, eggs, bread and milk, turps, kitchen cloths and a coffee at the hospital. Grateful for a day off work, my gran feeling ok after her operation and a good work out at the gym.

:bdaycake:Happy Birthday for yesterday raphael.


Need to pick up some salad veg today and a birthday cake for DS.


Not sure what else we are doing today, kids are still in bed, they only see about an hour of the morning these days.