This week started with a trip up to Yorkshire on Sunday, to visit family. LB came with us, as she didn't have many work shifts for the week, so we made it her Xmas visit, as she is unlikely to have time to visit over the Xmas period due to working in a theatre during panto season.
We had a good journey there and stayed at OH's mum's house. We spent Sunday evening catching up with family news and spending time with his mum.
On Monday morning, we decided to venture into Hull for the morning. We always like to visit the old part of town around Whitefriargate and Trinity Square, and whilst LB and I checked out a few charity shops, OH waited for us in the Minster Cafe. We then had some lunch in Trinity Market before heading back to the car. We managed to find some new trainers for me for Xmas on the way back to the car. They were Sketchers trainers, which I haven't used before, but were 75% off, so we got them for a really good price. I've gone for a much more colourful trainer this time around. I'll show you them when I get them for Xmas.
I had arranged for LB and myself to meet my sister at a cafe in a garden centre near where she lives at 2pm, so we dropped OH off back at his mum's and we went on from there. It was a nice garden centre, with so many things to look at. We all had a drink and a cake and a good catch up and then had a little look around the Christmas section before parting ways. I didn't buy much, save for some small terracotta pots for some succulents I need to pot on. They only cost a few pounds. Later in the evening, we took OH's mum out for supper to a local pub and we had a nice meal out.
Tuesday, was our final day in Yorkshire and OH's sister was coming over to visit their mum, so we got to see her too and caught up with her family's news. We also went into a local small town for OH to get a haircut and we bumped into another member of OH's family there and had a good chat to them. We set off for home at around 1pm and had a good journey back, getting home by around 5.30pm.
As a consequence, it was a week of two halves really and the rest of the week back in London, felt very short. I was going to go to the Green Gym on Wednesday, but we had no fresh everyday food in the house, so I decided to give it a miss and to go out shopping instead. It was an expensive week this week, as I needed to buy quite a lot of things.
I did stock up the pantry cupboard a little, based on what I'd taken out of it to use up. I also finally managed to get some baked beans and water this week, but I almost missed out on the water, as there was none when I was in Lidl. As I was leaving, however, I saw a guy with a trolley full coming out, so I stopped to ask him if they'd just put some out, which they had, and then went back in and got a couple of six packs. Who knows if we'll ever need it, but I do use it for cold drinks, so I can always drink my way through it.
When I got back, some online Xmas shopping had been delivered, which was good. I still need to do a trip to IKEA with LB for some things she wants and then maybe go into London with OH to get him some new trainers for Xmas, but other than that, there are just a few small things left to get that I can probably pick up on my grocery shops this month.
On Thursday, I was back at the gym for aerobics. LB was working all day and OH was out for the day, so I had the house to myself for a while when I got back. I did some laundry in our new washing machine and did some financial housekeeping. I got paid my pensions this week and neither was taxed, so I didn't have to contact the tax office, which was a good thing. In addition, I also got tax rebate on another small pension that I'd cashed in earlier in the year, so everything should just be straightforward from now on. I do still need to contact the tax office to voluntarily pay some national insurance, but I've got until April 2027 to do that.
Friday, I was back at Walking Cricket. I had a bit of a nightmare getting there, as the buses didn't seem to be running very well. I ended up getting a train, then caught a bus that was going in the wrong direction, so had to get off and walk the rest of the way, making me a bit late. The cricket was good though, but once again I was on the losing side. Luckily, it's only a game. I stayed for a drink and a chat in the cafe. They were trying to agree on a venue for an Xmas lunch in a few weeks time.
We were fortunate that we weren't affected by any of the problems that lots of people were experiencing with Microsoft on Friday. A real Friday 13th nightmare for some I imagine. On Friday evening, OH and I watched The Odyssey, which was long but good.
On Saturday, I was out to the gym early to attend the free over 50's gym session. On this occasion, I snuck into a different gym room and used the squat rack and bench press. I hadn't used them in a while and my chest felt really tight and sore the next day, which means that the muscles must have done some work. I can't go next week, as I have an ultrasound at the hospital and then there's only two weeks before the sessions finish for Xmas.
OH and I had a lazy Saturday afternoon at home. I'm currently enjoying a detective drama called Patience, which is good and OH watched the rugby. Later, our neighbours dropped their dog round, as their babysitter had allergies and couldn't look after him and we ended up watching a movie about Bruce Springsteen.
Sunday, was a washout here. It rained most of the afternoon. LB was working on a market stall again, not great weather for that. OH and I decided to change around the two living rooms and move the sofa and TV into the back room for a few months, as the wood burner is in there and it is a lot cosier. It took a bit of work cleaning both rooms and moving everything, but we got there eventually.
I also finally put on a new sofa cover, that I bought on eBay over a year ago for £35. Our IKEA sofa is around 25 years old and was discontinued years ago. We still really like it though, as it's large enough to lie out and even sleep on. I'm not 100% sold on the colour of the new covers, as they are a bit bright and they are a little loose fitting. I think they will shrink a little when washed, as they are 63% cotton.
It costs £300-£400 to get covers made to fit this sofa, so these were a steal and they allow me the opportunity to wash the existing covers, which we did get made and paid a lot more for. I put a wool blanket that I haven't used for years over part of the sofa, to tone the colour down a bit and I'm thinking of making some new cushion covers to help do the same, using fabric from my stash. I'll keep you posted on that front. They are not perfect, but we're pretty happy with them as a spare set and they will help further prolong the life of the sofa.
On Sunday evening, OH and I watched the Spain vs England match on TV, which we enjoyed. I haven't watched much football since the World Cup ended.
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