"Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it."

Ironing done, and a lot of stuff moved out of one of the bedrooms. Mostly into the kitchen, but some into the bin and a bit for the CS.

I still can't quite work out how the furniture needs to go in this room. I could really do with fitting a wardrobe into it, but can't see where it would go as the room has odd proportions.

I've also got to work out where I can keep my suitcases. They used to go under beds which now have mattresses under them, and the don't fit under the other bed. Mine now has a divan so no room under there. I probably don't need them all, but need to make some decisions as my preferred 'big' suitcase (it isn't that big) is on it's last legs, so I need to work out which one to keep as a spare and then get rid of the rest. I've used them for storage for ages, but should be able to fit everything into chests of drawers.

Annoyingly the double room, which in theory should be habitable once the junk is redistributed, has developed a problem. There has always been cracking where the ceilings and walls join, and had previously been some cracks round the lintel but this had been dealt with. However, today I noticed that the curtain pole was wonky - there's a hairline crack from the ceiling to the top screw hole which obviously goes deep enough to enlarge the hole. I clearly need to check for any external cracks as it may just be internal movement, but if it is, it's in a very annoying location! The curtain pole has been up for over 4 years (it was up before the windows went in, and taken down and replaced when the room was redone). There are lots of cracks in this house, and I have no clue whether any of them are significant. As the builder has gone awol I'll have to find someone else to sort it out - but then again, as he was the one who dealt with it previously that's probably a good thing anyway! It's just annoying as I'd hoped to use the room (only spare double now) in the next week or so.

Two loads of laundry done, breakfast prepped. Office still a tip, but maybe I can count that as work! Must unload the machine, hang up the washing and stick another load in for the morning. I'm a bit apprehensive about going back to work, as I'm not sure all the changes are positive, but we'll see what happens when I log in tomorrow morning.

Another long break without posting...

Dentist has given me the all clear. Not entirely happy with the results but hopes they are good enough. So back in 6 months, have to cancel my hygienist appointment as they new tissue is far too fragile to let anyone near it. I've been eating fairly normally when out to avoid issues for other people, and it is a little sore at times. I start travel again this week, so that brings it's own challenges.

I have cheques to pay in to the bank - I really do need to pay them in rather than walking round with them in my purse. Plus I need cash, so I need to sort that out tomorrow rather than remembering when I get on a plane on Tuesday!

Last weekend involved two long walks (5 miles and 8 miles) with two different lots of friends. Most importantly, one of them is someone who can come and do a whole lot of odd jobs for me and may then do the utility room and possibly even the kitchen. We're going to start with the odd jobs (next week, between trips) and see how we get on. It's a day rate plus materials which he'll source and provide receipts for.

It'll be such a relief to have some of this stuff done.

Last week was chaos... I'd booked a couple of days in London for a conference (free) as I didn't have much on, and had hoped to use the pool/gym at the hotel. Failed to do that as I was tired, and then started getting emails from lots of people about stuff they needed urgently. So did one day at the conference, was too tired to use the gym/pool in the evening and eventually decided the following morning that I'd have to go home as I'd been dealing with work from 6am and at 9.30am needed to get dressed and check out of the hotel!

So not enough exercise, not great on the food front, and very little progress in the house or garden.

My mum has been staying this weekend, so we've had a couple of decent walks, seen my brother, his wife and the kids twice and I managed an hour in the garden (garden waste has been collected, so I need to fill it back up again! I have a rough plan of what I need to to next, and quite a few plants have been delivered so I also have my priorities worked out.

I've got quite a bit of travel coming up, mostly short trips. I'd forgotten how disruptive they are, but it should help kickstart some productivity at work and stop me feeling that i'm not really doing much.

I need to cancel this week's veg box as there is plenty in the fridge, and also think about running down the contents of the freezers over the rest of the winter. I have plenty of soup, and won't be around a huge amount.

We're also planning a family holiday for my mum's 80th. She's offered to pay for it, but it'll be expensive, so I'm going to use my Avios to pay for flights, and have suggested that as a family we make an effort to collect more Avios between now and the holiday as they can be used to pay for car hire etc. I also need to try to hang on to my BA Gold status... we may all be travelling economy but at least we'll be able to use the first class check in and lounges

As far as my own finances go I want to try to fund as much as possible of the rest of the work on the house from cashflow, and once the kitchen is in I'll start saving, OPing and increasing my pension contributions. I queried my pension info the other day as it appears that they've been been underpaying the employer contribution element - they're going to sort that out this month apparently.

I really MUST start running again. I have all the kit, after all!