A Mixed Week W/E 26/8/23

This week has been a real mixed bag, with quite a lot going on. On Saturday morning, OH headed off to the airport, as he was going on a week long cycling holiday in the Alps with a friend. He got off to the airport okay, but then within half an hour, I received a message from LB, who had gone off to work, saying that she'd had an accident and had hurt her foot.

It turned out that she'd got her trouser leg caught in the chain of the electric bike she'd hired and had fallen off it.  The bike had landed heavily on her foot. Luckily, a passing gentleman had helped her to free herself from the bike and she'd continued on to work, but was then in agony when she got there, so she came home to rest it and put an ice pack on it.

Once she was home, I took the dog out. With OH away, I was on dog walking duty for the week. We had a nice walk on the nearby marshes to get the week off to a good start, then it was back for lunch. 

I enjoyed getting back into eating salads for lunch again this week, as I'd rarely eaten them the previous week whilst working, so that was a treat.  Later, I made LB and I chilli for supper and then took the dog for a short walk.

On Sunday, I got up and did some laundry and then took the dog out. When I got back, I had another lovely salad for lunch and then I decided to go out and do the weekly shop a day early, as we were running out of a few things. 

I didn't need to buy too much this week, with OH being away. We could manage mostly on what we already had in the freezer and cupboards, but I did need to get some fruit and other fresh things that were running low. As a consequence, I went to a local Lidl to get most of what we needed and spent half the amount that I usually do, which was a win and should help to keep me as much within budget as possible this month.

I was super tempted by some items in the 'Middle of Lidl', notably a kettle bell, of which they had various weights.  These are difficult to buy online because of the weight for postage. I may go back and get one for that reason, as I do like using them for weight training. There was also a nice pair of workout leggings, but I'm not sure they would have fit me, as there were very limited sizes left in stock.  I resisted the urge and came away without either.

LB's foot seemed a bit better as the day wore on. She'd had to ring in sick again at work, but later on, she could at least put some weight on it, which was progress. It looked swollen and bruised, but I don't think anything was broken. At least I hope not.

On Monday, I woke early and found a couple of interesting jobs to apply for. My current job is a short temporary contract, so I'm still job hunting for when the contract finishes.

Monday was the day of the funeral of a friend of ours, who had died a few weeks ago. As OH was away, he was unable to attend, so I decided to go and represent the both of us. This was the main reason why I had done the weekly shop the day before.  The service was at a local crematorium, a few miles away. It was a lovely service. Very moving. I went back to the house for a drink and a chat and then came home.

LB returned to work today and she seemed to get through it okay.

Tuesday, I was back to the gym, to the class that I usually attend. I was so happy to get back to it, and that the teacher had returned to almost the original format using weights, which I love. I walked there and back to get my steps in.

Later in the afternoon, I finally got around to doing some sewing. I haven't touched any quilting for over a week. Just wasn't feeling it, but I'm glad that I picked the Xmas wreath quilt up again, as it is now progressing well.

LB suffered another blow today, when she was notified that her computer monitor, which had stopped working and had been returned to the manufacturer for repair, had been broken en route and they now want £200 if she wishes to replace it. Needless to say, she was not happy about that.

Wednesday, was LB's day off and my last day off before I go back to work for a couple of full on days. I don't know how late I'll be working on Thursday and Friday, as we need to work until the job is done on both days. As a consequence, the dog is going to a sitter, rather than being left home alone all day.

I had booked a gym session on Wednesday, so I headed out for that in the morning after walking the dog and then in the afternoon, I needed to take LB to her bank, which I combined with a small shop at Morrisons. I managed to find a small George Foreman grill for LB to take to Uni, for only £18, which was a good price. I also bought a pan, but forgot she needed one for an induction hob, so I need to take it back for a refund.

Wednesday night, I spent getting organised ready to go back to work on Thursday.

Thursday morning was a bit of a rush, getting my packed lunch made, and getting everything organised for taking the dog to the sitter. I dropped her off on route to work and then walked up and caught the bus not far from the dog sitter's house. I ended up being half an hour early. We were given lunch vouchers to get a meal deal from the cafe, but I had a packed lunch and preferred this, as I could control my calorie intake better, so I didn't use the vouchers either day this week.

Work on Thursday got off to a slow start, but once the work started coming in, we were busy constantly, all day.  We managed to get the work done by 5pm though, which was good, and left shortly afterwards. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined it might be.

When I got home on Thursday night I had all sorts of jobs to do i.e. feed the dog, make supper, put the bins out for collection the following day, do the washing up, do some washing, picking some lettuce from the garden for my packed lunch the following day, etc. which kept me busy all night. I then jumped into the shower, as it had been a very humid day and I was a sweaty mess.

I got up extra early on Friday and took the dog on a decent walk before dropping her off at the dog sitter's. Again, I got to work a little early, so I just got straight on with doing a small job before the day began proper. Today, the work was a bit more mind numbing, as we were inputting certain data that was very repetitive. We got quite a lot done and finished at 4.30 pm for the Bank Holiday weekend. Again it wasn't too stressful. In all honesty, I think that there might be just one or maybe two more days of work left for us to do next week, unless they find more tasks for us to do.  It's been a good job to do though. I've quite enjoyed it as jobs go.

Having said this, I was glad to get home on Friday night and get the dog home too. I definitely had that Friyay feeling and celebrated with a glass of wine, which is rare for me these days.

On Saturday, I had the day to myself, which was lovely. I took the dog for a walk in the morning and then came back and decided to do the weekly shop yet another day earlier than last week.  The main reason for this was that I had a voucher to use, that gave me £12 off an £80 spend at Tesco, which was expiring the following day. I thought I'd use it to buy LB another pan, an induction one this time and I struck gold as I found a Tefal stainless steel pan reduced from £32 to £16 on a Clubcard deal.

Although it always works out a little more expensive to shop at Tesco, I tend to have to get some things from there anyway each week, so it was worth it to find the bargain pan and use the voucher to pay for most of it.

I got a few things from Lidl too, as I needed to spend just £14 to qualify for 10% off my next shop and I only had this week to spend it, so I bought a few things from the list there. I have to admit that I also bought two kettle bells, one 4kg and one 6kg and two pairs of gym leggings which do fit. The reason I bought two of each, was because there was a deal to get the second of each half price.  The leggings ended up costing £5.25 each and the Kettlebells £6.75 each, which I thought was really reasonable. It was a treat to myself, to help me along on my fitness journey.

Last stop was B&M, for some dog treats, a few bits of food and other items. I spent quite a bit more than I intended in the end for all the shopping, mostly on account of the extra bits I bought, but I don't really regret it. Some of it will come out of next month's budget, as most of the food I bought from Tesco was storecupboard stuff that I bought just to use the voucher, that we didn't really need just yet, but which we will use over the next few weeks.

Luckily, I managed to get home and put the shopping away before the heavens opened and there was thunder, lightening and torrential rain on Saturday evening. Needless to say, the rest of the day was spent indoors.

The other reason that I did the shopping on Saturday, was that OH was arriving back into Gatwick on Sunday and I thought I might need to drive to the airport to pick him up, so I would have missed out on using the Tesco voucher otherwise. Sometimes, it just pays a little, to be flexible and swap around where and on what day you shop, to make the most of offers or money off where you can. 

Looking back on this week, it's been a very busy one, especially with OH away. We've got through it okay though and I should be able to enjoy Bank Holiday Monday before I return to work. Life should also get back to some sort of normality next week, hopefully.

I hope you've had a good week.

A Busy Week and a New Job - W/E 18/8/23

This week started off very slowly. Knowing I would be starting a new temporary job this week, I took it very easy on Sunday before the madness of getting up early and getting off to work every day started.

I was out of the house at 7.30 am walking the dog on Sunday. It was lovely and quiet at that time of the morning. It's rare for me to be out so early, but the dog seemed to need to go, so I threw on some clothes and headed out. I actually quite enjoyed it. 

OH was out cycling and LB out at work by the time I got back, so I had a lovely relaxing morning, treated myself to a boiled egg and soldiers for breakfast, had a shower, did some weights and pottered about the house watering my plants.

Later, after lunch, I napped on the sofa which was nice and then made us some supper in the air fryer. I'm going to miss the air fryer when LB goes back to Uni in a months time.  We might have to buy another one for us to use. 

Monday, was weekly shop day as usual. I wanted to get in a gym session too though, so I went off shopping early and then went to the gym in the afternoon. 

Whilst out doing the weekly shop, I went into the store where I used to work up until a few months ago, as I needed some more thread for my Xmas quilt. It felt very strange going back in there as a customer. I bought a couple of other things too and spoke to a couple of people I used to work with, which was nice. I don't regret leaving though, my only regret is not earning the money anymore.

Anyway, when I got home, I headed off to the gym for a good workout session. There was the usual frustration of not getting on the leg press or any of the surrounding machines, as people sit on them waiting to get on the leg press, whilst not actually using them and not moving when they see someone who wants to use them. It drives me mad.

I had a really sleepless night the night before I started the training for my new temp job on Tuesday, which wasn't great, but I managed to get there with plenty of time to spare on my bike. It only took 30 minutes to cycle there and the journey wasn't too strenuous or dangerous, as I took back roads and went through parks.  

In spite of being tired, the first training session went well. I felt a lot more confident about being able to do the job afterwards, which is good. It's a lot different going back into office work. (I worked in different office type jobs as a teenager and in my twenties) I quite like it so far, it seems very civilised, but I may change my mind, we'll see how it goes.

OH was unwell during the early part of this week. We were not sure if he'd got the same virus that LB had last week (both have tested negative for covid), as he exhibited similar, although not as severe symptoms. 

I had another sleepless night on Tuesday night, after a picture fell off the wall above my bed at 2am and woke me up. I really struggled then, to get back to sleep, so I felt really tired when I got up.

Work training on Wednesday went okay again. I managed to get the ride down to 25 minutes each way by taking the shortest possible route that I could. What we were learning in today's session, was a little more complicated, but I got to grips with it by the end of the session. We were then asked if we minded staying on to do some envelope stuffing for a couple of hours. I was perfectly happy to stay and be paid to do such a simple task.

On Thursday, I decided to travel to work on the bus, as I had a gym session booked in the afternoon and didn't want to be too tired due to cycling, to make the most of it. Besides, getting the bus made a change, which I'm always happy for. In the end, I got a lift to work with OH, as he was heading in the same direction to take the dog for a walk in one of her favourite spots, this saved me the bus fare and the effort of going to catch the bus. 

Work training was okay today, we learnt the last bits of information we needed to know to do the job. 

I took my gym gear with me to work and a bagel for lunch, with the intention of walking to the gym, once I got off the bus on the way home. I had to be at the gym by 3pm to take advantage of the 50+ gym sessions, as they are off peak and the gym gets very busy as the afternoon wears on.

Anyway, my gym session was good. For once, it wasn't too busy and there was hardly anyone using the leg press, so I could have stayed on it all the time if I'd wanted, but I didn't.  When I got home, I could just chill for the rest of the evening and have a shower ready for work the following day.

On Friday, it was very cloudy, so I decided to go to work on the bus again. I had to set off a bit earlier to walk down to where I catch the bus. I made sure to take an umbrella, just in case. It rained very lightly just as I got off the bus, but hardly at all. The session was all abut consolidating what we'd learnt this week, ready to do the real job next week. 

I'm only actually working on Thursday and Friday next week, as that is when the work needs to be done, so it felt lovely when we left at 1pm, to know that we had 5 days before we needed to be back. I got that Friday feeling, which I haven't had in many years, as I've worked on weekends for the last 6 or 7 years. It was a nice feeling.

I was, however, quite tired when I got home, so I had a little nap, before getting up to walk the dog.

In all, it's been a good week. Work has been better than I thought it might be after the interview and I'm actually quite looking forward to doing the work we are being employed to do next week.

On the fitness journey front, my weight has been up and down like a yo yo this week. Possibly due to the new work routine, which has been a bit frustrating. I can only try to do my best and hope for a positive outcome. On the plus side, I did get two gym sessions in, which I'd hoped to do at the beginning of the week.

I hope you've had a good week.

A Quiet Week and a Double Milestone W/E 12/8/23

This week has been a quiet week. Not a lot has been going on here, which for once, I'm quite thankful for. I spent most of my time completing and sending off forms for the new job, walking the dog, cooking, shopping, all the normal weekly things that I usually document on here, and nothing particularly out of the ordinary has been happening this week.

My fitness journey is continuing.  I went to my usual class at the gym and one other gym session too. I've also been doing a few hand weight routines at home.  I've been concentrating on upping my protein intake this week, which has been going well. Weight loss is still slow, but it's still happening. I now weight less than I have done at anytime in the last three years. I have finally got back to the weight I was before Lockdown, which is a major milestone for me. This same milestone coincides with me reaching a stone of weight loss in the nine weeks of my journey so far, so it is a double celebration, but there's still a long way to go.

For me, Lockdown was a disaster in terms of my health. I found it really difficult to get into a fitness routine, as I was so used to attending classes and exercising with other people. Motivating myself was really hard and I comfort ate way too much too. This combination meant that I put on a stone in four months, some of which came off when I returned to work and began cycling there, but some of it just never shifted and my weight has since gone up and down during times of working and not working. 

Recently, I came to the conclusion that whilst I'm not working, I may as well use the time to work on myself and I'm now finding ways to motivate myself to exercise regularly at the gym, which is helping me to make progress, especially now there are fewer classes to attend in the summer holidays.

I'm hoping to cycle to the new job most days, which should inject a bit of exercise into my daily routine over the next few weeks, but it will depend on the weather really. I may not be able to get to the gym or classes at all for the duration of this job, so I don't want to slip back and gain any weight if I can help it.

In other news this week, LB was unwell mid week and took a day off sick from work. The following day, was her normal day off, so she had two days to recover and could then return to work, bless her. She's been working very hard and still has 3 weeks or so to work before she finishes. Just having a two day break due to illness, has been a blessing in disguise for her at the half way point.

I've been sewing a little this week, although not quite as much as I have done in previous weeks. The quilt for the sewing room is coming along nicely though. Here's an updated picture of my progress:

I set it aside from Wednesday this week, as I was having trouble linking up my computer to OH's printer and can't print off my paper pieces, so I've now turned my attention to the Xmas wreath quilt, which is probably just as well, as it would be good to get it finished in time for Xmas. I've also had to stop work on that though as I've run out of thread and despite having reels and reels of thread, I don't have any the right colour, so I need to buy some.

On Thursday, I took myself off to the gym first thing as I prefer to go in the morning. I had a good session, but couldn't get on the leg press.  Why is there always a queue for this machine?

Friday, was super quiet. I did a bit of extra walking picking up a prescription from the chemist and then on Saturday, OH and I were invited to a 40th birthday party out in Kent. It was nice to drive out of London for the afternoon. The party was nice with great vegan food. I didn't drink much, just a couple of glasses of wine and I didn't eat too much either which was good.

A quiet week, but I'm still on track, have hit some milestones and I am enjoying the journey. That makes it a good week in my book. I hope you've had a good week too.

Getting Back into a Routine - W/E 5th August 2023

After a busy week last week and a lot of travelling to visit relatives, it was lovely to start this week with a stay at home day on Sunday. OH and I did consider going to the car boot sale in the morning, but as we'd done so much driving in the past week, we decided to stay put, as the car boot sale is a 40 minute drive away.

Instead, OH went out with the dog and I had breakfast in the garden. Both sets of neighbours were away, so it was lovely to sit out there without being able to hear anyone else in their gardens. A rare treat when you live in a densely populated city.

Whilst out in the garden, I decided to take the opportunity to do a bit of tidying down the side return. It was a bit of a mess after our neighbour had inadvertantly chopped the honeysuckle on the fence and we needed to clear up and rearrange what was left of the plant to best effect. It's not looking great, but hopefully it will grow back a bit better given time. It was disappointing, but there was nothing we could do, as we were away at a wedding when it happened.  It now looks a lot tidier and has made this area much easier to navigate when we need to.

It was just as well that we did work outside in the morning, as from about 2pm the heavens opened and it rained constantly all afternoon and much of the evening.  Once the rain had set in, I went upstairs to the sewing room and did some work on a couple of quilt projects, mainly cutting out and making up pieces to sew together. It made for a nice relaxing afternoon, as I hadn't done much sewing in the previous week, so it was nice to get back to it.

Later, after supper, I made some more jam from the blackberries I'd foraged the day before and the last of the blackcurrants, that I'd bagged up and put in the freezer.

On Monday, OH got a refund on a large item that he'd ordered from Amazon. He was notified it had been delivered when we were away, on a day when LB was home, but it wasn't delivered to us and after putting a message on the street chat, no neighbours seemed to have received it and no one has been round to tell us they've got it. All very strange. Anyway, a refund was issued, so OH can now order another item to replace it. It's been a source of frustration for the past few days, so at least that has now been resolved.

Monday, was another rainy day from the outset. I couldn't even get out with the dog until much later in the morning, so I went off shopping and walked her when I got back and there was a break in the rain.

There were quite a lot of things that we needed. I've started to buy drinks and snacks for LB to take to work, to save her spending her hard earned money on them, and I'm slowly starting to buy bits here and there for her to take back to University with her in September, in an attempt to spread the cost. She'll be on a tighter budget this next academic year, as her student maintenance loan was reduced. We will probably need to supplement her income a little more for the duration, although she is thinking of getting a part time job too.

I'm now starting to feel pressure to get a job again, not from anyone else, just myself, in order to help out more with the family finances. Besides, Xmas and LB's 21st birthday are on the horizon and I will need money for gifts. I'm still looking and applying from time to time. I just need to keep on it.

I thought that I'd missed the opportunity to attend an interview for a job later this week, because I misread the email and didn't respond in time, but I received a message on Monday, to say that in spite of this, I can still go along to the interview, which was good. I spent Monday afternoon working out a route to get there either on my bike or on public transport if the weather is bad. This particular job is not in retail and is temporary for just a few weeks, so would suit me, but I'll have to wait and see if I get it.

Later on Monday afternoon, I headed up to the sewing room to continue work on a quilt project. It was still raining outside, so it seemed like the perfect thing to do on a rainy afternoon. I'm enjoying seeing my current quilt gradually grow in size. It's a lot of work, but I like the end results, so it's completely worth it.

OH visited the allotment for the first time in a week tonight and brought back everything that needed harvesting. I pickled the beetroot he brought back, as I'd run out and needed some for the following day. It made a large jar which will keep me going for a week or two.

On Tuesday, I was up and out with the dog, so I could get back in time to go to my usual Aerobics class. We had sunshine this morning which was a welcome break from the rain. The class was a bit different today, but I worked up a sweat which was the main thing.

In the afternoon, I did more work on my new quilt project and then later had a shower before my interview the following day.

On Wednesday, I was up early to get myself ready for my interview. I had been thinking of cycling, but I caught the bus in the end, as it was raining heavily.  I got there in good time though. It wasn't really an interview as such, it was more of a test of your skills. Only a third of the expected candidates turned up, so I don't know if that will raise my chances or whether they'll find more candidates in the time they've got left. It was quite intense, getting used to a completely new to me computer system in just a few hours. I came away a bit overwhelmed to be honest. I'll just have to wait and see if I hear anything. If I get the job, there will be a few days training before we start proper, which will be helpful.

When I got home I was hungry, so I made a nice lunch and then took myself off to the sewing room as usual to decompress. I do have to admit that I had a little nap too. It was a relief to get the interview over with. I get quite nervous really, as I'm still not used to going to interviews.

Thursday, marked the end of the 8th week that I've been trying to reduce my weight, which meant taking measurements and pictures to chart my progress. The weight loss has slowed down a little this week to just under 1lb, but in total I've lost 12lbs over the last 8 weeks, which I'm very happy about. You can just about see some progress in the photos, mainly around my middle section and some of my measurements reduced by an inch this time, but not all. I'm happy with my progress. Slow and steady is fine by me, so long as things are still going in the right direction. I feel fitter and healthier, and that is the main thing. My blood pressure is also still looking better than before too.

OH had headed off to catch a flight up to Scotland early on Thursday morning, to compete in a World Masters Cycle race. I think he was quite excited to get the opportunity.

Due to OH being away for a couple of days, I was on double dog walking duty.  After doing the first dog walk, I headed to the gym. I was especially looking forward to it, as we didn't do much weight work in Aerobics this week, so I particularly wanted to do some work on the weight machines in the gym.

I enjoyed my gym session, apart from the fact that I counted at least 5 or 6 machines that were out of action, some of which had been for a few weeks now. I find this really frustrating, especially where there's no alternative machine to use. 

When I got back from the gym, I spent some time in the sewing room quilting again. LB came home from work later and had got paid without being taxed this week, which was a relief. She can pay her overdraft off a lot quicker now and have some money left to enjoy this summer.

After the second dog walk, I'd managed over 14,000 steps, which was good. I placed a Temu order tonight for a few fitness items, including a skipping rope, a waist trainer and a yoga mat strap. 

On Friday, I was up and out with the dog again in the morning. We dropped in to the allotment on the walk. (I posted separately about that) When I got back, I had some lunch, I hung out some washing and then did some more sewing upstairs.

I had to pop back to the allotment, as I'd left all the things I'd harvested there, along with a sunflower plant that I picked up from a neighbour who was giving away lots of spares.

Today, I got offered the temporary job I was interviewed for on Wednesday. It's an admin job doing data input work.  A lot different from retail work, but I'm looking forward to the change and the regular hours. It will only be for a few weeks over a busy period, but the money will come in very useful. I start mid August, when I'll be going in for some training. Wish me luck.

OH came back late on Friday night from his race in Scotland. His plane had been delayed for an hour.

On Saturday morning, I got the first proper lie in I'd had for a while, as OH took the dog out. I lounged about in bed for a few hours which was bliss and then eventually got up. I decided to concentrate today on making meals with more protein in them. It seemed to help quite a bit with feelings of hunger.

It was raining most of the day on Saturday, so I spent quite a while sewing to pass the time. I'll have to put my current quilt aside soon, when I start the new job, so I'm trying to get as much done as I can, while I can. I did a short work out with some hand weights today, which I enjoyed. I need to use them more often.

Later, I walked the dog and then OH and I started watching a good movie on Netflix after supper. A quiet Saturday, but I like them that way.

A much more positive week this week, especially with the job offer.

Allotment Catch Up - August

Whilst OH was away in Scotland at his cycle race, I thought I'd better pay a visit to the allotment, to see if anything needed harvesting. 

In view of the fact that there hasn't been a lot of sunshine lately, the tomatoes are taking a while to ripen up, but most other things are growing well. We tend to pick the tomatoes as they turn reddish and ripen them a bit more on the windowsill at home.

The whole site looked very full of growth compared to the previous time I'd been, which must have been a few weeks ago. Our plot looked like this:

The main things we are harvesting at the moment are beans (french and runner), cucumbers (mini and cucamelons), tomatoes, courgettes and beetroot. The sweetcorn is also doing well, but probably needs a bit more sunshine before the cobs are ready to pick. They aren't far off though.

The grape vine hanging over the fence has so many bunches of grapes on it, but they are not quite sweet enough just yet. I'm not sure if these are from our neighbour's vines or ours. Probably his, if I'm honest. He's usually okay for us to pick them, if they hang over the fence on our plot though.

Here's what I harvested on this visit. A nice little haul. Some of the cucumbers look a bit yellow, so have probably gone over a bit, but so long as they taste okay, we'll eat them. I'm freezing some of the beans and courgettes, as we can't get through them all and I'm pickling the beetroot for future use.

The only salad and vegetables I'm buying at the moment are avocados and peppers, which is saving me a bit of money each week, which is all good. I hope you're having a good growing season if you grow your own food.