This week has been the Manager's last week at the CS, so I've done my usual 3 days again, hopefully the last time for a while, as it is just a little bit too much and too disruptive to family life.
Having said this I've almost got back on top of the washing and ironing. I've got an empty ironing basket for the first time in months and just need to keep on top of it.
The rest of the house needs attention though. Bedding needs changing, bathrooms need cleaning, well everything needs cleaning really and garden/allotment needs clearing. Still lots of work to do, but it's getting done bit by bit.
Anyway, I digress, so this week has been the last with the current manager in charge and yesterday was my last day working with her. The new manager came to the shop in the afternoon to get acquainted with it.
He's currently managing another shop in the London area, but one that is very different from this one, so it will be a bit of a change for him. He seems very personable, and quite calm and orderly, which is potentially a good thing.
Tonight, I'm heading back to the shop for the current manager's leaving. We're all meeting at the shop for wine and nibbles and a bit of a gathering. She didn't want too much fuss and a meal wasn't really appropriate, as many of the volunteers are young and don't have the money to spend on meals out.
Some of the ladies who currently work there, have contacted past volunteers and invited them to come along, so there should be a good turnout and a collection has been taken with a good amount raised to provide a nice leaving gift.
It will be sad, but happy at the same time, as she will now be able to move on and try something new, with less stress. The shop won't quite be the same without her, as she injected a lot of her strong personality into it, but I guess things will carry on as normal.
I'm not sure how many volunteers will be left when the new manager starts next week, as some may not come back and some have already left.
I am not, however, intending to single handedly breach the gap, as I need to get back to my two days per week after nearly 3 months of working 3 days, and get back on top of things at home.
Of course, if he is really stuck, I will try to help out where I can, but I feel I've put a lot of extra hours in over the last few months and I need to get some balance back. I've come to realise that these shops will eat up all of your time if you let them, as there are always things to do.
It will be interesting to see how the new manager approaches the shop and the working environment. I'm hoping he might improve it a little, if I'm honest, as it can get quite chaotic at times. I guess it is partly the nature of the job and the limited space available, but it is also a matter of organisation too. We'll see.
Although I love working at the shop, there is a limit to what time I can comfortably give, and if too much pressure is brought to bear then I won't be hanging around for long, as life is too short.
I would then probably look for a volunteering opportunity closer to home with less travel involved, especially now the nights are drawing in and it is getting dark so early. Hopefully, I won't need to, but I'm keeping an open mind for the moment.
Saturday, 12 November 2016
Thursday, 10 November 2016
Art Mirroring Life - Or Almost
I got up this morning to see that John Lewis's new Christmas advert was in my inbox. I couldn't resist watching it, of course, and when I saw that dog in the thumbprint I thought, oh here we go, a nice dog to emotionally blackmail us this Christmas.
The advert was a little different to what I expected though and made me laugh instead of bringing a tear to my eye. Take a look for yourself.
I have to say that it struck a chord with me, as certain visitors to the garden do behave in this way. The only thing the advert doesn't show is the smelly little calling cards that they often leave behind, if you know what I mean.
The advert was a little different to what I expected though and made me laugh instead of bringing a tear to my eye. Take a look for yourself.
I have to say that it struck a chord with me, as certain visitors to the garden do behave in this way. The only thing the advert doesn't show is the smelly little calling cards that they often leave behind, if you know what I mean.
Monday, 7 November 2016
Weekend Summary
As previously posted, I had every intention of putting the garden to bed this weekend, but I got a bit distracted on Saturday morning, a consequence of finishing Marie Kondo's book and being in the mood for a bit of decluttering. The result was that I decided to declutter the hallway cupboard instead of tidying the garden.
This was the before photo.
As you can see it is pretty well rammed to the rafters with stuff. Admittedly, most of it is packaging materials I want to reuse, ingredients for candle or natural beauty product making and some sentimental items that belonged to my mother, that I find it hard to part with.
I tackled it shelf by shelf, the top shelf probably being the hardest, as this contained part of my collection of Hornsea Pottery ceramics. I really need to find a way to display these in the house, but haven't found one yet. I do like them though, so I'll keep thinking about it.
Also on this shelf were my mother's items. I went through the box and did manage to set aside a few items to donate. They were the things that had less sentimental value to me and that I would never use. A few things I put into everyday use rather than letting them sit unused in the cupboard. This was progress enough for now. I still kept a fair few things though. I'll keep going back to these and I will probably be able to part with more as time goes by.
The middle two shelves were the candle and beauty making ingredients, so I tidied them up as best I could to make them easily accessible. I did find several things to donate, I also disposed of a few bits and relocated a few others, so I was pleased with the overall result.
The cupboard, as you can see from the photo below, now looks a little less cluttered.
So, I've made a start on the clutter clearing for this month, which feels good. The garden will have to wait until another day, as Sunday was way too cold for me to get out there. I just couldn't face it. It probably won't take long once I get going, but I've got to be in the right frame of mind to tackle it.
Instead, I tackled more of the ironing mountain this weekend, as this had the added bonus of keeping me warm with the weather turning so cold. I also made an effort to get to grips with my new digital camera, which was a birthday present from OH and I did a bit of computer housekeeping by sifting through all of the photographs on my computer, making sure to delete any I don't want to keep and transfer others into appropriate files.
We lit the wood burner for the first time this weekend and I had forgotten how lovely and cosy it makes the house feel. We've been sitting down to watch 'The Crown' on Netflix. There's been so much hype about this series in the newspapers, that it almost put me off watching it. I'm glad, however, that it didn't, as we're finding it surprisingly well made and are enjoying watching an episode of an evening, in between watching our other current Netflix favourite when each episode becomes available, 'Designated Survivor'.
I have to admit that I do like the autumn and winter months, when you don't feel you should be outside enjoying daylight or sunshine and can hunker down and get cosy at home guilt free. Definitely my favourite time of year.
I hope you all had a great weekend.
This was the before photo.
As you can see it is pretty well rammed to the rafters with stuff. Admittedly, most of it is packaging materials I want to reuse, ingredients for candle or natural beauty product making and some sentimental items that belonged to my mother, that I find it hard to part with.
I tackled it shelf by shelf, the top shelf probably being the hardest, as this contained part of my collection of Hornsea Pottery ceramics. I really need to find a way to display these in the house, but haven't found one yet. I do like them though, so I'll keep thinking about it.
Also on this shelf were my mother's items. I went through the box and did manage to set aside a few items to donate. They were the things that had less sentimental value to me and that I would never use. A few things I put into everyday use rather than letting them sit unused in the cupboard. This was progress enough for now. I still kept a fair few things though. I'll keep going back to these and I will probably be able to part with more as time goes by.
The middle two shelves were the candle and beauty making ingredients, so I tidied them up as best I could to make them easily accessible. I did find several things to donate, I also disposed of a few bits and relocated a few others, so I was pleased with the overall result.
The cupboard, as you can see from the photo below, now looks a little less cluttered.
So, I've made a start on the clutter clearing for this month, which feels good. The garden will have to wait until another day, as Sunday was way too cold for me to get out there. I just couldn't face it. It probably won't take long once I get going, but I've got to be in the right frame of mind to tackle it.
Instead, I tackled more of the ironing mountain this weekend, as this had the added bonus of keeping me warm with the weather turning so cold. I also made an effort to get to grips with my new digital camera, which was a birthday present from OH and I did a bit of computer housekeeping by sifting through all of the photographs on my computer, making sure to delete any I don't want to keep and transfer others into appropriate files.
We lit the wood burner for the first time this weekend and I had forgotten how lovely and cosy it makes the house feel. We've been sitting down to watch 'The Crown' on Netflix. There's been so much hype about this series in the newspapers, that it almost put me off watching it. I'm glad, however, that it didn't, as we're finding it surprisingly well made and are enjoying watching an episode of an evening, in between watching our other current Netflix favourite when each episode becomes available, 'Designated Survivor'.
I have to admit that I do like the autumn and winter months, when you don't feel you should be outside enjoying daylight or sunshine and can hunker down and get cosy at home guilt free. Definitely my favourite time of year.
I hope you all had a great weekend.
Sunday, 6 November 2016
Living with Less Stuff - October
Last month I didn't think that I'd manage to do much decluttering, as the major part of the month was taken up with my sister's visit.
However, I did manage to find a few items to donate whilst cleaning the house in readiness for her arrival and since her departure and return to Australia, I have sifted out a few more clothing items to donate, whilst catching up on laundry and ironing.
In addition, LB has been busy decluttering again this month and has supplied me with a good quantity of clothing that she no longer needs or wants to keep and which were cluttering up her drawers, but not getting worn.
As a consequence, this month's total is non too shabby and between us as a household we will have amassed another 59 items in total to be donated. This has once again streamlined our clothing and I'm getting ever nearer to having an acceptable (to me) amount of clothes in my wardrobe and drawers.
When added to the running total for the year which at last count was 816 items, I have now cleared a total of 875 items from our house so far this year.
Reading Marie Kondo's infamous book helped towards the end of the month. I didn't subsequently follow her method to the letter, and I may not ever actually do so, but some of her ideas make a lot of sense to me, particularly ones about not hanging onto things that LB is throwing out for sentimental reasons, and not passing things down to her that she doesn't really want, which I have a tendency to do, instead of dealing with my own guilt at getting rid of something.
I utilised the extra hour when the clocks went back two Sundays ago to give my underwear drawer a good sort through, as some items had holes in the lace or seams and needed throwing out. Due to having bought some new underwear whilst my sister was here, I felt the time was right to chuck out the stuff that is past it's best and this feels like a job well done to me.
I've got the odd decluttering job planned for November, if I get the chance to do it, namely to tackle the cupboard in the hallway, which is bursting with stuff. It might even inspire me to finally get around to a spot of candle making, as I have the soy wax, containers, wicks and a pine candle scent, which would be ideal for the festive period. I'll let you know how that goes if it happens.
However, I did manage to find a few items to donate whilst cleaning the house in readiness for her arrival and since her departure and return to Australia, I have sifted out a few more clothing items to donate, whilst catching up on laundry and ironing.
In addition, LB has been busy decluttering again this month and has supplied me with a good quantity of clothing that she no longer needs or wants to keep and which were cluttering up her drawers, but not getting worn.
As a consequence, this month's total is non too shabby and between us as a household we will have amassed another 59 items in total to be donated. This has once again streamlined our clothing and I'm getting ever nearer to having an acceptable (to me) amount of clothes in my wardrobe and drawers.
When added to the running total for the year which at last count was 816 items, I have now cleared a total of 875 items from our house so far this year.
Reading Marie Kondo's infamous book helped towards the end of the month. I didn't subsequently follow her method to the letter, and I may not ever actually do so, but some of her ideas make a lot of sense to me, particularly ones about not hanging onto things that LB is throwing out for sentimental reasons, and not passing things down to her that she doesn't really want, which I have a tendency to do, instead of dealing with my own guilt at getting rid of something.
I utilised the extra hour when the clocks went back two Sundays ago to give my underwear drawer a good sort through, as some items had holes in the lace or seams and needed throwing out. Due to having bought some new underwear whilst my sister was here, I felt the time was right to chuck out the stuff that is past it's best and this feels like a job well done to me.
I've got the odd decluttering job planned for November, if I get the chance to do it, namely to tackle the cupboard in the hallway, which is bursting with stuff. It might even inspire me to finally get around to a spot of candle making, as I have the soy wax, containers, wicks and a pine candle scent, which would be ideal for the festive period. I'll let you know how that goes if it happens.
Saturday, 5 November 2016
Getting Back into Frugal Habits
It's been a much better week this week on the financial front. I've got back into the habit of spending only on food and essentials and I feel much better and more in control of my finances as a consequence.
I have purchased a few Christmas gifts on line too, as I'm trying to complete my Christmas shopping as soon as I can. I'm also adding the odd small Christmas food item to my shopping trolley each week, to reduce the amount I need to buy nearer the time.
A couple of occasion cards needed to be purchased too this week and some money put into a collection for the Manager at the CS. Other than this, it's been a pretty frugal week.
I also spent £1.29 to repair one of the brakes on my old banger of a bike, that I ride to the train station on days that I go to the CS. Luckily the part fitted, so I now have two brakes working instead of one.
I have to say that this old bike is getting a second lease of life and is serving me well. I use it because I don't like leaving my favourite new bike locked up all day in case it gets stolen and it spares me the 15 minute walk to and from the station that I don't enjoy, especially on days when I am very tired after a long day on my feet. The extra exercise is good too, of course.
I finished reading Marie Kondo's infamous book this morning in bed. I really enjoyed it and I don't quite understand the severe reaction of some people who I've heard really pan the book. I found it very considered, rational and insightful. I think the press and media have sometimes taken a very sensationalist approach to it.
This weekend, I'm hoping to do some work in our garden as it's looking very sorry and neglected on account of my having very little time to attend to it in the last few months. I'm looking forward to putting it to bed for the winter as it will be another job taken care of and I won't have to worry or think about it for a few months. I do, however, intend to continue growing in the raised beds throughout the cold weather, but this should require little maintenance.
Other than this and a pile of ironing that is awaiting my attention, I don't have any plans for this weekend. Just getting back on top of things is enough excitement for me right now.
I have purchased a few Christmas gifts on line too, as I'm trying to complete my Christmas shopping as soon as I can. I'm also adding the odd small Christmas food item to my shopping trolley each week, to reduce the amount I need to buy nearer the time.
A couple of occasion cards needed to be purchased too this week and some money put into a collection for the Manager at the CS. Other than this, it's been a pretty frugal week.
I also spent £1.29 to repair one of the brakes on my old banger of a bike, that I ride to the train station on days that I go to the CS. Luckily the part fitted, so I now have two brakes working instead of one.
I have to say that this old bike is getting a second lease of life and is serving me well. I use it because I don't like leaving my favourite new bike locked up all day in case it gets stolen and it spares me the 15 minute walk to and from the station that I don't enjoy, especially on days when I am very tired after a long day on my feet. The extra exercise is good too, of course.
I finished reading Marie Kondo's infamous book this morning in bed. I really enjoyed it and I don't quite understand the severe reaction of some people who I've heard really pan the book. I found it very considered, rational and insightful. I think the press and media have sometimes taken a very sensationalist approach to it.
This weekend, I'm hoping to do some work in our garden as it's looking very sorry and neglected on account of my having very little time to attend to it in the last few months. I'm looking forward to putting it to bed for the winter as it will be another job taken care of and I won't have to worry or think about it for a few months. I do, however, intend to continue growing in the raised beds throughout the cold weather, but this should require little maintenance.
Other than this and a pile of ironing that is awaiting my attention, I don't have any plans for this weekend. Just getting back on top of things is enough excitement for me right now.
Wednesday, 2 November 2016
Getting Things into Perspective
I'm in a bit of a strange mood lately. I think having three weeks away from the CS did me some good and chipped away some of the scales that were obscuring my vision. I was so focused on trying hard to help the manager, that I was putting myself and my family on the back burner, which is never a good thing.
Spending a few weeks away, has helped me get things back into perspective. It's not my job to ensure the manager's last few weeks go smoothly, I was just getting too involved and drawn into things that weren't really any of my concern. A bit of distance has done me good and although I may still work an extra day a week until she leaves in two weeks time, I'm planning on going back to volunteering for just two days from there on in, as any more than this leaves things at home piling up.
With Christmas looming, there is plenty to keep me occupied away from the shop, although I do enjoy the festive atmosphere in the lead up to Christmas, so I can't promise I won't do a few extra hours here and there.
Another thing I've been neglecting this year is my eBay selling and this is going to be my priority this week, as time is now marching on and I have already missed out on lots of sales in the months of October and September due to being so busy with other things and not getting my act together.
I definitely need to get onto it and make as much effort as I can to sell as much as I can in the remaining few weeks. I'm pretty sure that I definitely won't achieve anything like the results I achieved last year though, as I just haven't been on it.
I definitely need to get onto it and make as much effort as I can to sell as much as I can in the remaining few weeks. I'm pretty sure that I definitely won't achieve anything like the results I achieved last year though, as I just haven't been on it.
Talking of Christmas, we're spending Christmas Day in London this year, which I'm quite looking forward to, on the request of LB. She enjoys spending Christmas Day at home now she is getting older. I'm not sure what we'll be eating, possibly a turkey crown or even lamb, but whatever we decide, it will be a simple meal and we won't be over indulging this Christmas. A few treats, yes, but not too many. I just can't deal with the excessive amount of food you are encouraged to buy at Christmas time. It can seem almost obscene at times, especially when some people struggle to put a decent meal on the table on a daily basis.
On another note, I have almost finished gathering the bits and pieces to go in my Operation Christmas Child box. I bought the last few items with my weekly shop on Monday. Once again, I am sending a box for a teenage girl, so it includes toiletries, stationery, make up and other bits and pieces. I'm hoping whoever receives it will like it. I'm tracking it once again. Last year it went to the Ukraine, so I'm interested to find out where it will go this year. (You get informed a few months later)
There's a couple of Christmas events I want to go to in the next couple of months, one being the Ideal Home Show at Christmas, for which I already have free tickets. Another is a local hospice Christmas Bazaar that I have attended regularly for several years.
What are your plans for Christmas and in the lead up? Are you planning any Christmas outings this year?
On another note, I have almost finished gathering the bits and pieces to go in my Operation Christmas Child box. I bought the last few items with my weekly shop on Monday. Once again, I am sending a box for a teenage girl, so it includes toiletries, stationery, make up and other bits and pieces. I'm hoping whoever receives it will like it. I'm tracking it once again. Last year it went to the Ukraine, so I'm interested to find out where it will go this year. (You get informed a few months later)
There's a couple of Christmas events I want to go to in the next couple of months, one being the Ideal Home Show at Christmas, for which I already have free tickets. Another is a local hospice Christmas Bazaar that I have attended regularly for several years.
What are your plans for Christmas and in the lead up? Are you planning any Christmas outings this year?
Tuesday, 1 November 2016
Everything Changes
I've not been keeping to my normal food shopping routine in the past few weeks and haven't actually visited Lidl at all during this period, so when I returned to my regular store on Sunday afternoon, I was shocked to be confronted with queues that reached the back of the shop, literally. (Even with every till occupied by a member of staff!) In the weeks prior to my absence, the queues had been reaching half way down the shop, but to double in length in the space of a few weeks seemed strange.
I soon found out the reason after I joined one of the long queues and waited my turn. When I got to the front of the queue I found myself in a queue for a whole new raft of self-service tills. Had I known, I would have transferred myself to a different queue. Anyway, defeated, I went ahead and used the said self service tills which have replaced half of the tills in the store. It went okay, save that there isn't enough room on the scale for more than one bag, which might be a problem should I want to do a larger shop.
Has Lidl introduced self service tills in your area? If not, be warned it may be coming to a store near you. I have to admit I was slightly disappointed, as I do prefer to be served by a person, as opposed to a computer, but I guess you can't hold back the tide of progress (?) can you? Another sign that the store has sadly become a victim of it's own success. In spite of the changes, I'm sure I will still shop there as I always have done and who knows it may actually reduce the queues, once everyone gets used to the new layout.
I soon found out the reason after I joined one of the long queues and waited my turn. When I got to the front of the queue I found myself in a queue for a whole new raft of self-service tills. Had I known, I would have transferred myself to a different queue. Anyway, defeated, I went ahead and used the said self service tills which have replaced half of the tills in the store. It went okay, save that there isn't enough room on the scale for more than one bag, which might be a problem should I want to do a larger shop.
Has Lidl introduced self service tills in your area? If not, be warned it may be coming to a store near you. I have to admit I was slightly disappointed, as I do prefer to be served by a person, as opposed to a computer, but I guess you can't hold back the tide of progress (?) can you? Another sign that the store has sadly become a victim of it's own success. In spite of the changes, I'm sure I will still shop there as I always have done and who knows it may actually reduce the queues, once everyone gets used to the new layout.
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