A Short Week - W/E 13th May 2023

Thanks to another Bank Holiday, it was a short week this week. On Tuesday, when life got back to normal, I headed out to do the weekly shop. Despite saying that I wouldn't use the final £7 off a £70 spend voucher at Tesco, I decided to use it after all, but stuck to things we needed or would definitely need in the very near future.

I also had to call the Doctor's surgery about a small medical issue that was resolved last year, but that has unfortunately recurred, in the hope that I could get a repeat prescription of the medications I took last time. I suddenly seem to be in that time of life where I feel like I'm constantly calling or attending the surgery for one thing or another, going for blood tests, ordering and picking up prescriptions, etc. etc. I hardly ever bothered the doctors about anything in previous years, but lately, I've had no choice but to. OH feels the same. We used to feel really healthy, but lately we've both been suffering with various different ailments. I'm just hoping I can get on top of this particular one this time around.

I was contacted about a job I'd applied for on Tuesday, but I had subsequently read quite a few negative reveiws about it online and had been put off from progressing my application. I was glad that I'd looked them up before committing to anything, as I could have found myself in yet another toxic work situation.

When I got back from doing the weekly shop, I decided to go up to the sewing room and do some work on my 1" patchwork project. Whilst doing this I listened to an audio book by James Clear called Atomic Habits, which is quite interesting. I've been thinking of making some changes to my daily routine to incorporate more exercise and listening to this book gave me some ideas in terms of how to go about it.

I received a call from my doctor later who had thankfully organised a prescription for me which. In the evening we watched an episode of Succession and caught the tail end of the first semi-final of Eurovision which was interesting. Not sure we'll continue to watch it, but it is strangely fascinating.

On Wednesday, I got up quite early and took the dog out a little earlier than usual. We had a lovely walk, as it was a sunny morning and the dog took us in a direction that we haven't gone in a while. She was obviously wanting a bit of a change of scenery.

When I got back, I then headed out to Soca Aerobics, which was good. I walked there and back again. 

I received my final payslip and P45 from my last job on Wednesday. I should get paid on Friday, which draws to a close another, if somewhat shorter, chapter in my working life. I'm still no clearer about what my next move will be. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what comes up.

Thursday, I was up early and off to my volunteering session. It was okay, but the bus home was very crowded and I got off at the wrong stop to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy, so I had quite a long walk. It started raining on the way home too, so I got a bit wet. Not one of the best days I've had lately to be honest.

I bought OH a new mini greenhouse for his birthday today. It's a surprise. Our current one was bought from the charity shop where I worked for £5. We've had a good 2 or 3 years out of it, but the metal rods have rusted and some are completely broken, so parts of it are collapsing. I will keep using the existing cover, as it's good quality and has plenty of life left in it, then keep the new one aside as a spare and we will also probably re-use some of the stronger joints I bought on eBay last year to make the new one more sturdy.

Friday was a better day. In the morning, OH and I ventured to B&Q for a few bits for the garden and more compost for my houseplants. I dropped into ASDA for a few bits of food too. I was shocked at how some things had gone up yet again, since I went a couple of weeks ago.  Anyway, OH then dropped me off on the way home and I walked back with the dog. We got caught in a rain shower, but it wasn't too bad and we had a nice walk.

I spent the afternoon doing a bit of work on my finances. I've overspent on groceries so far this month, so I need to really rein myself in for the rest of the month. When I checked my bank account, I actually had a little more money than I thought, as in my daily reckonings, I'd taken some standing orders out twice, which came as a nice surprise.  I also got my final wage from my last job today, so that will keep me going for an extra month, in case I don't get another job soon. I can manage for the next few months, so there isn't a desperate hurry to get another job.

My Temu order was also delivered today. It included a few things for the kitchen, i.e. some new oil and vinegar bottles (pictured above), a window cleaning squeegy, that has a small bottle attached that squirts detergent, a scraper for cleaning burnt on food from the oven/baking trays, some sewing bits, including some small clips (to use instead of pins), self threading needles, a sewing machine foot that creates a hemmed edge (I'm really interested in seeing if this works) and some metal bobbins. I also bought a few stationery bits, which I put to use straight away.

I made some cookies in the afternoon too, using a cookie mix that I'd bought at Lidl, which was out of date and needed using up. It didn't take long and they tasted nice enough.

Later, I decided to test out the window cleaning squeegy on the kitchen windows, both inside and out. It worked really well, so all the kitchen windows are now sparkling, window sills were cleaned and plants watered. The windows should now hopefully let in more sunshine, if we ever get any. A very satisfying job done. Definitely worth the £2.38 I paid for it, even if I never use it again, but I'm sure I will. It would also be good for cleaning car windows or maybe for applying homemade de-icer. I know that Nancy Birtwistle has a recipe for this, but I'm not sure what it is. 

On Saturday,  I was once again in the mood to do some cleaning. I decided to start upstairs in LB's room. I began with the windows using the squeegy again, then I wiped down all the surfaces, before putting on new bedding and then vacuuming and mopping the floor. Although it was probably the cleanest room in the house, it still took a good few hours.

Once I'd finished LB's room, I moved on to the bathroom. It needed a good deep clean. It took me the rest of the afternoon to finish it, but it felt so satisfying to get it done. I put a couple more Temu purchases into use in there, one being these toothpaste tube stands that squeeze as much toothpaste out of the tube as possible. They work really well and allow you to stand the toothpaste tube up on the shelf which keeps things tidier. OH can't really see the point of them, but I like them and they only cost 79p for the two. With the price of my particular toothpaste (Cordasyl), they'll probably pay for themselves sooner rather than later.

I also attached this soap dish to the tiles in the shower. It is the perfect design to stop the soap congealing in the soap dish and leaving a scummy, soapy residue on the bath edge. Hopefully, excess water will now drain away, keeping the bath edge cleaner and helping to keep the soap drier/prevent it dissolving in a pool of water in the soap dish. I'm hoping it stays stuck in place, but at 88p it is definitely worth giving it a try. 

Most of the items I have bought from Temu have been very inexpensive, but  are really useful solutions for around the house. Delivery is free and they usually deliver within about 10 days, which is pretty good as I think they may come from China. If you don't like buying things from China, then this isn't the website for you, but I've been pretty happy with almost all of the items I've bought so far. (This is not a sponsored post by the way)

OH also filled the second raised bed today, with the compost he'd bought at B&Q and then planted it up with salad plants, which should keep us in lettuce for a good amount of time once it has all grown big enough to harvest and he also cleaned the outside of some upstairs windows for me, from the inside, which was great as it will save me going up a ladder.

By the time it got to Saturday night, it felt like we'd already had a very productive weekend and we could sit back and watch the Eurovision final guilt free. We didn't stay up for the results though, as we were both exhausted.

I hope you had a good post-Coronation week.