A New Sewing Project - Making a Loose Sofa Cover

This week, I decided to start work on a new project to make a loose cover for a sofa that's been languishing in LB's bedroom for a while now.  She doesn't really use it, although the dog does sometimes sleep on it, and I think she'd rather have the space for a desk, now she's studying, so I'm planning to put it in the new shed/garden room, when it arrives and has been built.

Here's a picture of it:

We actually have two of these sofas, one of which is still in one of our reception rooms, but this one is looking a bit worse for wear, as the sun has discoloured the cover in places, hence why I thought I'd try and make a new one. I've completed a similar project before, during Lockdown, making a loose cover for an armchair, so I'm hoping it will turn out ok.

To cover it, I'm using a pair of black linen/cotton curtains I bought from a charity shop the other week for £8:

(They look dark grey in this photo, but are in fact black)

I've cut all the hems off, as they exhibited signs of wear and fading, but the main body of the curtains are fine and look virtually new.

They are pretty large and I was originally going to use the fabric for quilting, but I've decided to use it for this project instead, as it looks pretty hardwearing and should make the sofa look much better. It's not the most comfortable sofa, if I'm honest, but you can't always have everything and I'd rather renovate and re-use it than put it into landfill.

I started this project on Sunday night, by making a paper pattern for the two ends of the sofa and the back. It didn't need to be too accurate, as I will make each piece at least an inch bigger all around and then pin and hand tack all of the pieces together whilst they're actually on the sofa to get a good fit, before doing any machine stitching. Any excess fabric will get trimmed off once it's all machine sewn together.

The remaining pattern pieces for the arms, seat back and seat cushion are a bit more complicated to draft, as they are more irregular shapes, so I needed to allocate some time when I was in the right frame of mind to really concentrate and get them right.

I continued with making the sofa cover on Thursday, after getting home from the gym. I draped the fabric over the seat back and cut it to the right size using the fabric and I have done the same for one of the arms. I find that this is the easiest way to get the shape right, but I've already made a couple of small mistakes, which means I'll have to add some small bits of fabric between the seat back and the arm pieces. It should be doable. It's not a precise method, but it works for me.

I also cut the back and sides of the sofa cover out of the fabric, so that I knew how much fabric I had left and how best to use it. I've actually just got enough fabric to cover the base of the sofa and there will be none left to cover the seat cushion, which is a pity. 

To be honest, I'm not too worried about this, as I've been covering this with a throw for years, which tucks down the sides of the cushion neatly and I could do something similar for the time being, until I get some fabric that is as close a match as possible to this one. Besides, it doesn't need to be perfect, as it's going into the shed after all.

I spent a couple of hours working on the project on this occasion, but then called it a day. I have one more arm cover to draft and then the front pieces of the arms and base, before I can start pinning and tacking it all together.

Here's a picture of how far I got in this session:

I was quite happy with my progress. 

I'll post again about this project when I've made more progress.

A Busy and Reflective Week W/E 20th April 2024

This week, I was only scheduled to work two shifts towards the end of the week, so I was looking forward to having a few days to catch up on things at home.

As usual, the week started off with a dog walk on Sunday morning, but I didn't need to go to work afterwards, which was a treat. We dropped into the allotment on the way home and I did a bit of pottering. 

There are three vacant plots on our site at the moment. Apparently, inspite of there being a long waiting list for plots, no one has yet taken them. They would prefer plots elsewhere in the borough. Seems a shame. I hope they find someone to work them soon, as they are going to seed and it seems such a waste.

When I got home, I made a nice weekend lunch and did a bit of sewing. It wasn't long, however, before I started to feel very tired and ended up going back to bed for a nap. I think all the working last week took it's toll and I was pretty exhausted. I felt better for it though.

Anyway, later on Sunday, I applied for another college course starting in a couple of weeks. It's the same course I applied for a few weeks ago, but it is being run at a different campus. It's a bit further to go, but if I want to do it, I don't see the point in waiting, I may as well just get on with it and do it now. I'll need to see what happens and whether I get offered a place first.

On Monday morning, I woke up to find that I'd been given a couple more shifts at work this week, starting that afternoon. It meant that I couldn't go out of town to do the weekly shop, so I had to stay local. Before heading out to do the shopping, I did my first Couch to 5K run of the week. I was a bit nervous about whether I'd be able to run for a full 3 minutes, as I'd never done it before. In the end it wasn't too bad. I had to do two 90 second runs and two 3 minute runs, alternating between the shorter and the longer runs.

Once I'd done the shopping and unpacked it, I just had time to make some lunch and then had to get ready for work. Work was okay. I don't usually work in the afternoons (save for on Sundays), so it seemed a bit quiet at first, but got busier.

On Tuesday, I went to my usual class and then after lunch, I headed out of town to get some bits that I couldn't get locally. I got an email from the college I'd applied to telling me I needed to attend an enrollment day on Wednesday afternoon, to enrol on the course I wanted to do

As a consequence, Wednesday was a busy day. I did my second Couch to 5K run in the morning. It was the same format as the run on Monday, which was okay. When I got back from the run, I had a shower and got ready for work later in the evening. I needed to go to the college enrollment day and thought I might have to go straight to work from there if it was busy, so I decided to go there dressed ready for work.

I took public transport to the college, as I didn't know what the parking situation was. It was a bus and then a tube journey, which took approximately an hour. I got enrolled on the course, which starts next week. I will need to attend for a few hours one night per week, on Tuesdays. I also found out about the parking whilst I was there and applied for a permit for the duration of the course (it's an 8 week course). Parking is free and it will only take me half an hour to drive there, so that will be a lot easier. 

Work on Wednesday night was quite steady, but busy. We got to leave a little earlier, which was good.

On Thursday, I had a day off, which I was happy for. I took the dog out for a walk and then went off to the gym for an hour or so for a good workout. It was nice not to be at work. I could get on with a few jobs around the house, that I hadn't had time to do in the previous few days. I also ended up taking a nap, as the busyness of the week so far had taken it's toll on me. I felt a lot better for it.

OH ordered the new shed today. There's a 3 week wait for it to be delivered, so he will need to finish the fencing and prepare the ground in readiness in the next couple of weeks. 

In the evening, OH and I watched some TV, we're currently watching the new series of Race Around the World, which starts off in Japan and is really interesting.

On Friday, I was working in the evening, so I got up and got out for an earlyish run. It was my last run of Week 3. The runs were the same format all week. I thought they changed up this week, but I think it must be next week where you do different runs within the same week. I ran for an extra minute on the last run, making it a 4 minute run, as I know we'll go up to 5 minutes next week and I wanted to see how it felt to go for longer. It's made me a little less apprehensive going into next week. 

I am now thinking of buying some running trainers. At my age, I don't want to risk injury, so I think it might be the best thing to do.  I'm not spending silly money, but hope to find something that does the job and gives me good support. I tried on OH's expensive running shoes and the cushioning was amazing. I won't be spending as much as he did on them though.  

Although I struggle with running, I do like the sense of freedom I get from going out running and going wherever I please, often changing direction if a path looks too busy or the whim takes me. I also like looking around me at nature whilst I run. It's very energising. I just wish the weather was a little better.

Just before I headed into work on Friday, I got a call from the college telling me the course wasn't going ahead next week, as not enough people had enrolled. I may still be able to do it in September. I figure it's probably for the best, as I currently have a lot going on with training to do the 5k run and work. I was disappointed though, as I was looking forward to it.

I enjoyed work on Friday night, as I was working in my favourite section, so it passed quickly. There were a few things that happened through the evening that I didn't enjoy so much, but I won't go into them here.

On Saturday, I was due to start work at 3pm. OH did the dog walk before he had to go to a cycle race for most of the day, so I was able to get up slowly, do some weights and just generally have a chilled morning. I needed it really. Life has been a bit hectic lately and I needed some time just to reflect and process some (not mentioned here) stuff that has happened in the last couple of weeks. There's always stuff going on in the background of our lives and it's good to get time to actually think about it.

I had a long shift at work on Saturday, which qualified me for a break, so I made a baked potato with tuna and sweetcorn mayo filling to heat up in the microwave on my break. It was much appreciated when I did get my break.  Work was super busy, but it passed quickly which was good.

I was glad to get to the end of the week this week and I am hoping for a slightly less busy week next week, in which I can get more done at home. I hope you've had a good week.

A Week of Work and Working Out and Not Much Else - W/E 13th April 2024

This week, I was hoping for a quiet week, just getting back into a normal routine after LB had gone back to Uni. I thought that I was due to work 4 shifts, the first of which was on Sunday afternoon.

I woke quite early on Sunday and spent a while in bed reading a new to me book about mindful making, which is quite interesting. The rest of the morning was spent in the usual way, i.e. walking the dog, doing some laundry, having a good lunch and then getting ready for work. I was expecting work to be quite busy, but it started off quite slowly, which lulled me into a completely false sense of security.  It then got super busy and ended up being quite a challenging shift. It was nearly 7pm by the time I got home, which is quite a bit later than usual.

On Monday, I decided to start the week with Run 1 of Week 2 of the Couch to 5K app. OH was walking the dog, so I was able to get out reasonably early and get it done. It had been a few days since I'd done a run, and I knew that I'd need to run for a longer amount of time this week, so I was a little apprehensive when I set off. There were 6 x 90 second runs, each separated by 2 mins of brisk walking. The first run went okay. The breathing tips they gave you helped me today, plus the knee support I put on to help protect one of my knees that I get twinges in. I made the mistake of running on grass early in the morning. I won't do it again. My feet got soaked. It's all a learning curve.

Anyway, later, I went out to do the weekly shop. I went out of town again today, as I had one more voucher to use at the large out of town Tesco store, another £6 off a £60 shop. When I got home and had just finished unpacking the shopping, I got a call from work. I was late for a shift that I hadn't realised I was scheduled to work, so I had to quickly get ready and go in.

It was a busy night at work and I didn't end up getting home until 10.30 pm, so I was tired. It's been a really busy time in the store this week, in the run up to Eid al Fitr and also due to the fact that it was still the Easter holidays for some schools.  As a consequence, of this and the fact that quite a few staff were on leave, I was asked to work more shifts. 

On Tuesday, I was booked into my usual class at the gym. I had a bit of a lie in before going, which was much appreciated. When I got to the class I enjoyed it. It seemed to pass really quickly. I went home and had some lunch and then thought I'd better check my work schedule. I then realised that I was due at work at 3 pm not the usual 5pm, so I had to then get ready and go to work. It was a longer shift than I'm used to, although I did get a break, but it took it's toll, as it was really busy again. I was so glad to get home at the end of the shift.

I agreed to work an extra shift on Wednesday evening, when the Manager asked me to due to the store being very short staffed. If I'm honest, I didn't want to work, but I figured that I had lots of time off over Christmas, so the least I could do was to pitch in now. 

I spent Wednesday walking the dog, then doing the 2nd Couch to 5K run of the week.  I had a little time to catch up on a few jobs before starting work. Thankfully the shift on Wednesday evening was a lot calmer and we left earlier for a change.

I was up and out with the dog again on Thursday morning, followed by a session at the gym, followed by work.  This week seems to have been all about work and exercise and little else. Anyway, I had a very challenging shift at work in the evening and came home feeling very defeated. It's not something I've often felt with this job, but tonight was difficult for reasons I won't go into here.

On Friday, I decided I wouldn't do any exercise. In fact, I didn't feel much like doing anything. Luckily, it was OH's turn to walk the dog, so I could have a lie in and when I did get up I spent a little while in the garden (more in another post) which did restore some equilibrium.  I had one more night at work for the week and I couldn't wait to get it done so I could have a rest. I've found it very tiring working so many hours this week.

Work went okay, but I was so happy to get home knowing I had a day off on Saturday. One good thing was that I booked leave for the wedding in May this week. I had to book two weeks off as it straddles a weekend. I also booked a week off in June for a holiday abroad. We have managed to book a dog sitter for  a week so are looking to take a European holiday that week which is very exciting.

I had another lie in on Saturday morning and then eventually surfaced and went down for breakfast.  OH needed to go out to run an errand somewhere in Essex, so I went along for the ride and then we both went with the dog to Hainault Forest, where I did my final Couch to 5K run of the week, whilst OH sauntered through the forest with the dog. It was quite nice running in a forest, although a little creepy running on my own there. The run wasn't too bad. Next week will be telling, as I go from 90 second runs to 3 minute runs. I have no idea if I'm going to be able to do it or not.  I hope so.

We stopped off at a Cafe for lunch and then we bought a few plants from a nearby plant/flower shop -  a couple of Fatsia Japonicas for the garden and a pot of two small banana plants.  I see people actually growing bananas on them around our neighbourhood and I've never grown one before so I thought I'd give it a go. If we eventually get a better greenhouse or build a lean to one in the side return, which we are thinking of doing, they can always go in there. Here's a picture:

When we got home, OH went out into the garden to do more work on the fence and I did some laundry. I decided to wash all of my coats.  Some of them haven't seen a washing machine for a while, so it was long overdue and as the weather is now warming up, I may be able to pack some of them away soon until the autumn. It was lovely not to have to go to work today. It felt so luxurious to have a free day to do as I pleased.    

For supper, we had Tapas. Lidl had a Spanish Week this week and I can never resist getting some of their Tapas dishes. It was a lovely end to a very challenging week.

Garden Renovation Progress

It's been a few weeks since I posted that we were renovating our garden this year and things are now progressing quite well. OH has been working hard this week on the new fence and it's almost finished, but he ran out of screws, so I thought I'd post his progress.

After a horrible night at work on Thursday night, I didn't want to do anything on Friday morning. I dragged myself out of bed and sat in the garden with a cup of tea. I needed to clear my head. Of course, once you get out there, you can't help yourself, so I pottered awhile, took some photos, pruned and primped plants here and there, sewed some seeds and planted some corms/tubers. 

Thank goodness for gardening, it's so therapeutic. I forget how relaxing it is, when I don't do any over the winter. I can't wait to work on the garden once the more structural renovation work of fences and border edges have been completed.

Anyway, here's the progress OH has made:

There's a couple of gaps to complete, mainly behind the cherry tree which is too close to the neighbours fence to build the fence behind it. OH will have to build around it, which is a little more complicated. He's doing a good job and they are looking great. 

The fence panels at the end of the garden won't be seen once the new shed is put up, so OH didn't build that stretch and just used the same panels that the neighbour used for the fence on other side of the garden.

Talking of the cherry tree, here's picture of it in full blossom this spring, it's glorious:

It needs a good prune, but we didn't have the heart when it was loaded with buds.  We'll prune it back significantly after it has fruited.

To give me something to look forward to over the next few weeks, I planted one of the dahlia tubers I'd bought from Lidl into a wooden box. It should have plenty of room to grow here. I added some calendula and nasturtium around it, but I'm not sure if they will germinate, as the seeds were quite old, we'll see. If it gets a bit congested, I can always transplant some of them elsewhere.

I then swept up a bit and planted some anenome corms into a pot. I bought them reduced in Poundland and thought I might as well give them a go and try to add some colour to the garden. I can't wait to see if they grow now.

It made me feel a bit better to get out there and do something positive. I'm on a 6 day stretch at work and tonight is my last night before a break. I can't wait. It's been too much this week.

I'll post again when there's more progress in the garden.

A Car Boot Sale and a Busy Week

This week started off with a rare family outing to a favourite Car Boot Sale on Easter Sunday morning. Probably not everybody's idea of a nice way to spend Easter Sunday morning, but we enjoyed a drive out of London and a mooch round the stalls for a few hours. I packed myself a lunch, so that I wouldn't be tempted to eat unhealthy food whilst we were out.  We were having a roast dinner in the evening, due to having other stuff planned during the day.

We needed to get back home for 1pm, as OH had hired a van in a particular slot, for us to take all of the garden debris from last weekend, to our local Tip. I had been looking forward all last week to getting this job done.  

It was quite straightforward and such a relief to clear the garden of all the debris. Here's a couple of after pictures:

It was so nice to get our garden back and have space to work outside again. There's still a few things that don't have a home, but we'll find somewhere to put them at some point.

When we got back from the Tip, I spent an hour in the garden, sweeping up after removing the debris and then I potted on some of my houseplants, which I've been meaning to do for a while.

OH had ordered new fence panels and wood to build replacement fencing and they were scheduled to be delivered later in the week, which was exciting.

As planned, in the early evening, I cooked us roast beef with all the trimmings to celebrate Easter Sunday, which was very enjoyable and we exchanged Easter eggs. I didn't worry too much about calorie counting, although I tried not to overeat. 

It was a busy day, but enjoyable and productive. Most importantly, it was just lovely to spend it together as a family and do things together.

On Easter Monday, I was due to work in the evening. OH took the dog out in the morning, so I decided to do my second Couch to 5K run. I went quite early this time, so there were fewer people out and about.

When I got back, I spent a couple of hours in the garden, clearing more vegetation and doing some pruning of some of our trees, which was badly needed. We decided to chop our apple tree down completely, which I didn't relish, but it hasn't been thriving for a while and has a furry fungus that appears on it every summer. It also never bears fruit anymore, so we decided it was time for it to go. OH still needs to dig the roots out, but  it has really opened up the border near the back door, which is good. 

After finishing in the garden, I made some lunch and then had to get a shower and get ready for work in the evening. I wasn't really feeling it, if I'm  honest. When I got to work the store was super busy and I found I was working in my favourite section, which was good. The time passed very quickly.

On Tuesday, I was booked into a class at the gym in the morning. I really enjoyed the class and worked hard in it. 

Later, in the afternoon, I ventured out of town to do the weekly shop, as we were getting low on lots of things. It felt good to get stocked up again after the Easter weekend. I used another voucher giving me £6 off a £60 shop at Tesco. I did most of my shopping there this week in order to use it.

Wednesday, was a pretty quiet day at home. I was working in the evening, so I was happy just to stay home, chill and catch up on a few jobs. I did my last Couch to 5K run of Week 1, so I will be moving into a new week and a new regime on my next run. I added an extra minute of running onto the end of this run, as I feel like I need to push on a little with the 5K run being in 6 or 7 weeks time.

Work was okay tonight, I was asked and agreed to work on Thursday night too.

On Thursday, I was all set to book a gym session, but when I tried, there were very few bookable sessions in the morning for some reason. As I needed to take LB to a dental appointment in the afternoon, this meant that I couldn't book an afternoon session, so I did a few weights at home instead. I noticed that the situation was the same for Friday too, so I didn't book a session.

I took LB to the dentist, and luckily she didn't need any treatment, so that made it relatively inexpensive. When I came back, it was time to get ready for work. Work was busy. I agreed to work another shift on Friday night today, so my hours have increased quite a bit for the week. At least that means that I'll be earning a bit more money. Besides, LB goes back to Uni tomorrow afternoon, so it will be good to keep busy. I felt a bit emotional on Thursday at the thought of her going back. I love her being home and I'll miss her.

On Friday, I decided to have a chilled morning. I caught up on a few jobs and then sat down and did some work on my Hexi Star quilt. It felt good, as it's been a busy couple of weeks and I needed some downtime. 

LB was heading back to Uni in the afternoon, so I dropped her off at the station. I then booked into the gym I just had enough time to go before having to get ready for work. I enjoyed my gym session, but I felt a bit unfit today. I hadn't been in the gym for over a week and I could feel it. 

The sports centre where I go to the gym and classes, is having lots of renovations done in the near future. I'm wondering how it might disrupt my exercise routine. I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Work tonight was very busy, but passed quickly, which is always good. I've been getting home quite late for the past three nights, so it's taking a toll.

I had a day off on Saturday and hoped I wouldn't be asked to go into work again. I wasn't. I walked the dog in the morning, had a nice lunch and did a few jobs. I ended up having a nap in the afternoon, as I was feeling really tired. I felt much better for it.

On Saturday evening, OH treated us to renting a movie online. I was in the mood to watch the new Hunger Games movie, which came out last year, so OH streamed it and we watched it whilst I worked on my quilt. I enjoyed it. It was a nice treat to end the week.

I've got another busy week at work next week with extra shifts to work, but I'm hoping things might slow down a little and I might get a bit more work done around the house. I'll let you know.

Monthly Progress - March 2024

It's been a busy month, despite working less hours at work. I seem to have found ways to fill the time available. Unlike in previous months, I haven't done much scrappy sewing work, which I have missed, and I can feel the urge to work with fabric scraps coming around again. Maybe I'll get the chance in April.

In March, I've been much more focussed on a fabric stash re-organisation and count and on progressing with my Hexi Star patchwork quilt, which is now much nearer completion. The fabric count has been an interesting experience, lets put it that way. I really don't need to buy any more fabric for a long time, save for possibly plain fabrics I might need for specific patchwork projects. I have very few plain fabrics in my stash and I use these to contrast with the patterned fabrics in my quilts. 

I may slow down on the patchwork front in April though and try to do something different, just to mix things up, although patchwork is very easy to pick up and put down, which makes it very convenient to work on whenever you have a few spare minutes.

We've fitted in a visit to Yorkshire this month, which made a nice change. I always find getting away from home to be inspiring, as you can step back from things and refocus, which helps me to identify my priorities, and since getting back, we've got on with what is the main priority, which is the garden. 

We definitely made progress with the garden renovation, with our neighbour and OH completing the new fencing on one side of the garden and with OH taking down the shed and the rest of the fencing in readiness to replace it. 

Getting rid of the debris, plus lots of unused and no longer wanted clutter from the shed on the last day of the month brought about a big sigh of relief. Giving us some space back to be able to get out and work in the garden, which was wonderful.

In April, I'm hoping that we can progress further with the garden renovation. The new fence panels and timber to build new fences have now been delivered and I'm hoping it won't take OH too long to get them up, so that we can move into the next phase of the renovation. In the meantime, I need to do lots of pruning and tidying in order to facilitate this.

I've also started to try to regularly feed the birds this month and encourage them into the garden. It seems to be going reasonably well so far. I began by cleaning all of the bird feeders and then buying and putting out some bird food. More feeders will be filled with snacks and put out as we progress with the garden renovation. 

In other areas, my fitness journey has been slow this month. I did lose a couple of pounds over the month, but Easter weekend may have seen a bit of weight going back on. I can see my progress in the way things are fitting or should I say not fitting me any longer, so that is encouraging. We also managed to acquire some better weights too, that weren't too expensive, so that should help with progressing in this regard.

Other fitness progress, involved finally starting the Couch to 5K app, although I only did one run in March. OH signing me up for a 5K run was the main motivation for this, plus better weather towards the end of the month.

My walking challenge has gone well again this month with 141km of steps taken, which is more than the monthly 135km needed to keep on target for the yearly distance of 1,000 miles. If I continue with the running, this should help to boost this total in April.

I'm going to have to be a little more self motivated with regard to exercise in April, as there are no free classes and gym sessions available until the end of the month, so I will need to book and pay for gym sessions and classes each week until then. It doesn't cost much though, so this won't be a problem.

Work wise, I feel like I've made progress this month in terms of getting more of a work/life balance. Working less hours on my new permanent contract has meant that I've had more time to spend doing other things. My hours have increased around Easter though, and I have some extra shifts scheduled as we go into April, so we'll see how that goes.

Although I've not set myself any decluttering challenge this year, I have decluttered quite a bit in March. We parted company with quite a lot of the unused contents of the shed this month and I also decluttered quite a lot of clothes after going through my summer wardrobe and discovering what still fitted and what was no longer going to serve me. 

There may be more things decluttered in April, once I start to put away my winter clothes. I may part with some of them if they are now way too big for me or no longer inspiring me to wear them. I'm kind of undergoing a bit of a style change alongside my weight loss and the things I wore to hide the weight I'd put on are being replaced by things that are a bit more fitted, as the weight gradually comes off. We'll see where that leads as time progresses.  These changes are being introduced to create a wardrobe that fits my new frame and healthier lifestyle, but I'm making sure not to take for granted how far I've come and that I may slip back, although I'm hoping not to.

Despite all of the progress made in March, there are many areas where I haven't made progress, probably the main one being keeping on top of the housework and cleaning. I probably need to focus more on this in April and I've decided to use a 10 minute daily speed clean strategy to try to keep on top of different areas of the house. I'm hoping that short bursts of cleaning will help to motivate me more to keep on top of things.

I'll keep you posted with how this goes and what progress we/I make with regard to our other goals in April. 

Whatever your goals are, have a good month.

First Car Boot Sale Haul of 2024

On Easter Sunday morning, we had a family trip out to one of our favourite Car Boot Sales. It's about half an hour outside of London and it's the one that I go to most frequently. 

We were hoping to get an early start, but when I woke up I realised that the clocks had gone forward overnight and it was later than I thought, so we ended up getting there at 9.30 am.

It was super busy, with lots of stalls and it was great to have a wander round and see what everyone was selling. I didn't quite have time to look at every stall, so I focussed on those that were selling things that I was more interested in. I still managed to have fun though and find a few bargains.

Most of my purchases were plants. I bought a few indoor and a few outdoor plants. The indoor plants included this Mistletoe Cactus:

I've never had one of these before. It now resides in the bathroom, as the seller told me it likes humidity. I really like it and for £1 it was very good value. I also bought a small aloe vera from this seller too for £1.

The rest of the plants I bought from a designated plant seller. I bought this pot of blue hyacinths for £1 which was a bargain: 

I'm looking forward to it fully flowering. I also bought two hellebore plants for £5 and two ferns for £7. I thought that these were quite good prices for perennial plants and I look forward to putting them in the garden at some point. I don't know what colour the hellebores are, as on the label there are a variety of colours. It will be a nice surprise to find out, when they eventually flower.

OH also bought some vegetable plants for the allotment, i.e. some tomato plants, cucumber plants and a courgette plant, so he was happy too. Here's a picture of them all in a box:

Aside from plants, I bought a couple of items of clothing for £1 each, which included a black shirt from M&S that I may wear for work in the summer months and a black jumpsuit/lightweight dungarees which fit like a dream. I love them.  They will be great to wear in the summer with a t-shirt or vest underneath. I didn't photgraph these, as black items can be difficult to see in detail on photographs.

I also bought some Elf face cream with SPF 30 for £1 (I bought two of these), as I don't currently have any skincare with SPF, so this should be useful in the summer. I'm hoping the SPF works. I also bought a W7 mascara from the same seller for £1. I use quite a few different makeup products from this brand and I really like them.

Other than this I just bought a few useful bits and pieces that mainly cost 50p each, such as these rolls of branded sellotape and these multicoloured permanent marker pens.

The final bargain of the day were these three plant pots for £1. I'm always needing plant pots to pot on my houseplants as they grow bigger and these were perfect. Here's some of my plants potted on into them:

Unfortunately, the green one in the centre has a hairline crack in it, but I'm still using it as it is very pretty.

So, we had a great morning out, but had to leave after a couple of hours to get home for something we had planned later in the day. It was a lovely outing though and I look forward to the next one.

Have you been to any Car Boot Sales lately?

March 2024 Financial Round Up - A Spendy Month

It's been a pretty spendy month this month, despite my thinking that it wouldn't be. I think I've been in a bit of a spendthrift mindset to be honest, but sometimes, if you have the money available to you, it's nice to be able to treat yourself to a few new things, especially if your body and lifestyle is changing for the better.

I have purchased a few things for myself this month that weren't essential, such as some wireless headphones and a kettlebell, both of which I purchased using a staff discount at work. I am very happy with these purchases. The kettlebell and the more recent purchase of some dumb bells, I see as an investment in my future health and fitness. The headphones I use regularly in the gym, when walking the dog and now for the Couch to 5K that I've recently started and they have made a big difference to my enjoyment of these activities. They are much simpler to use than wired earphones too.

I've needed to spend quite a bit of money on LB this month, namely paying towards some new glasses and sunglasses. She needs decent eyewear and it's difficult for her to afford these as a student. I'm hoping they should last her until she finishes her studies and finds a job, if she looks after them.  I've also bought her some clothes for a forthcoming family wedding in May. They haven't been delivered yet, but I'm hoping that out of the things we ordered, at least one item will be a good option for her to wear.

Other things I've purchased this month include some new storage boxes for some of my fabric. They weren't a huge outlay, but they seem to be working well enough so far. I haven't quite finished organising them yet, but once I have, I will post about them.

This month, I decided to buy myself a few new clothes. This was mainly because many of my existing clothes were just getting way too big and did not look good. I have to admit that I also wanted to celebrate my weight loss by buying a few items that actually fitted me well at my new size. This included some new jeans and an outfit for me to wear to a wedding, plus a few other things. Most were bought from charity shops or car boot sales, so haven't really cost a lot of money.

I have also put some stored clothes that didn't fit me for years, back into circulation in my wardrobe this month, so these, combined with what I've bought, should see me okay for the immediate future, but I don't rule out picking up a few more bits, if I see anything I like.

I am hoping that I can be a bit more restrained in April though and can reign in my spending. I need to, because I am now working less hours than I was over Xmas and the first couple of months of this year, and as such I will be earning quite a bit less going forward, although I will be getting a higher hourly rate at work from April, which is good news.

I am still putting money aside each month for birthday/wedding/Xmas presents, so any events that come up during the year should be budgeted for, rather than having to find the money at the time. I'm hoping to continue with this throughout the year.  I've also put some money into savings this month, for the first time in quite a while and I hope to continue with this too on a regular basis.

I have no birthdays or expected expenses coming up in April, save to pay for LB's dental check up and any treatment that she might need following her appointment this month. That's not to say that expenses might not crop up in the coming month. Once we make progress with the garden, I may find that I want to spend some money on some plants to fill in some gaps, but we'll see what happens.

I'm looking forward to a new month, and to accepting the challenge of being a bit more careful with my spending. It's not really very frugal to be in a spendthrift  mindset and I need to make a concerted effort to snap out of it and spend less.

I hope you've had a good month financially in March and have a good month in April.

Feeling a Little Overwhelmed W/E 30th March 2024

The week began with my working again on Sunday afternoon. I had a couple of extra shifts this week in the lead up to Easter. I don't mind this, as the opportunity to earn a little extra is welcome, but there is quite a lot going on at home right now, what with LB coming home for a couple of weeks for her Easter holidays and with the garden renovation, etc.

If I'm honest, I've been feeling a little overwhelmed for a while, by the amount of stuff that we need to do in the next few weeks. I also feel the need to do a bit of a spring clean in the house too, but maybe it's better to wait until the majority of the garden work has been done, as we'll be traipsing in mud and carrying debris through the house for the next couple of weeks at least.

I guess I just need to be realistic with regard to what I can achieve on a daily basis and not stress over it. Baby steps will have to do for the moment. It will all get done eventually.

Work was okay today. Very busy on the job I was doing, so it passed quickly. In the evening, OH and I continued to watch a new series on Netflix called The Three Body Problem. It's a bit weird, but good and very well made.

I woke on Monday after a good night's sleep, which I was grateful for. I had a leisurely morning getting up and pottering, catching up on jobs and my finances, etc. I needed to wait for LB to come home, as I was heading out of town shopping and she wanted to come with me. I made good use of the time, and also got to try out my new hand weights, that I'd bought at the Tip shop. They are quite heavy, but I need to progress to heavier weights, even if I can't do as many reps.

LB came home around midday and soon after we headed out. We had a nice afternoon out shopping, just spending time together and catching up really.

On Tuesday, after not sleeping well, I needed to be up to walk the dog, as OH was cycling. I needed to get out early, as my class at the gym started at 11.15am and it can take up to two hours to walk the dog, now she is older and slower. We made it back by 10.30am, so I had half an hour to catch up on a few chores and then headed out to my class. I went up in weight with my weights today in an attempt to progress. It wasn't too bad.

I was working on Tuesday night. It was reasonably quiet at work, thankfully, although it did seem to pass a little slower as a consequence, but was largely stress free.

On Wednesday morning, I got the chance to have a lie in, as it was OH's turn to walk the dog. After not sleeping well on Monday night, a good night's sleep and a lie in were very welcome. Once up, LB and I started looking for a dress for her for the upcoming family wedding. It will be good to get that done in the window of opportunity that constitutes the Easter holidays, as it is more difficult to collaborate, when she goes back to University.

I then booked myself into the gym for a session, which I enjoyed. With no extra free classes and gym sessions for the next 4 weeks, I'll be going to the gym more often. Now the weather is picking up, I may even attempt to start running. OH has booked me into a free local 5k run in May, so I need to at least give it a go with that in mind. If I don't end up participating in the race, it's no big deal. I'm not sure I'll be ready to participate so soon.

I was working again on Wednesday night. I found out that my pay rate at work is going up by over £1 per hour very soon, which is good news.

On Thursday, I had a day off. I got up slowly and enjoyed pottering around at home. I decided to sort through some stored summer clothing and tried most of the items on to see which things fitted well and which things were now too big and needed to be donated. I'm still finding it hard to part with a few favourite items from when I was bigger and I did keep some of them. I did put aside quite a few to be donated though and there were a few old pairs of jersey leggings and a t-shirt that I ended up cutting up for dish cloths, as they were not suitable to donate.

A few items that straddle seasons were put in the wardrobe. This included some very nice old favourites that I haven't been able to wear for years. I am really looking forward to wearing these again. Some of the very summery items I returned to storage for the time being, until I can safely put away my winter woolies and have more room in the wardrobe. 

Later, in the afternoon, OH and I ventured to Wickes, (DIY store) to check out some fence panels for the garden renovation. OH is going to order them to be delivered, along with some wood, as he is going to build the fence along one side of the garden himself. We still need to dispose of the debris from the old fences, but we couldn't get booked into the Tip until Easter Sunday. I'm looking forward to finally clearing it all out of the garden then.

In the evening, I picked up a book that I'd part read, that had been sat beside my bed for months and finally managed to finish it. This felt very satisfying. I will be donating it, as it wasn't a keeper. I still have another 3 part-read books to finish. Hopefully, I'll get around to finishing them sooner rather than later, as I have a large stash of unread books to work my way through.

On Good Friday, OH was attending a cycling event all day, so I dropped him off in the morning, so that I could keep the car to go to work later. On the way back, I stopped off and walked the dog. It was lovely and quiet early on, as lots of people up and leave London for the weekend, or have a lie in on a Bank Holiday. London at it's best. By the time we got home, people were starting to come out and it was getting much busier.

Later, after lunch, I decided it was a good day to start the Couch to 5K app on my phone. Mainly because I didn't have time to go to the gym as I was working at 4pm and also because of it being a Bank Holiday weekend. I figured I could do a run on Friday, another on Monday and then maybe one on Wednesday if the weather is okay. 

The first run was hard. My legs felt like lead weights. I must look a real sight, but I did it. I'm hoping it gets easier. I figured out a good route to use for these runs though, so that was a good start. I have to say that the app is really good and really coaxes you through it, giving encouragement along the way. The first week is running for 60 seconds, walking for 90 seconds repeatedly, so a nice gentle start. I struggle when the running time increases. I'll just have to see what happens this time around.

When I got back from the run, I had half an hour to recover and then it was time to get a shower and get ready for work. I used the time to do a bit of financial month end stuff, which was another item off the to do list. 

Work on Good Friday was very busy. I was back working on my favourite section, recovering the section at the end of a very busy day. It was tiring, but the time passed very quickly and I enjoyed it. I didn't realise that the shop shut an hour earlier, so that was a nice surprise and I was home a bit earlier.

On Saturday, OH was cycling again, so I took the dog out in the morning. It really felt like a Sunday today. Once OH got back, we all spent the day at home. LB spent the afternoon making a bag from an old favourite pair of jeans that no longer fitted her, using my sewing machine, whilst OH and I took turns to nap on the sofa. I made some homemade dog food, as the dog has been a bit picky lately and always enjoys eating it.

Later, we ended the week with a takeaway for supper, which is a rare treat in our household and I did a bit of work on my hexi star quilt project. I have just 15 more diamonds to make and then I've completed all the blocks. I've also now got to the point where I need more plain navy fabric, so I will need to head out to my favourite fabric shops to find some that matches what I've been using as well as possible. It will make a nice little outing once LB goes back to Uni next week.

I hope you are all enjoying your Easter weekend and send you my best wishes for a very Happy Easter.

Making a Start on the Garden Renovations

On Saturday afternoon last, it was lovely and sunny, so OH and I took the opportunity, to get out into the garden and start work on our planned garden renovations. Here's a recent picture of the garden before we started work:

There is a now a new fence down one side of the garden, put up by our neighbour with OH's help.  As mentioned in a previous post, we need to replace our fences around the other two sides of the garden, as the existing ones were in very poor condition. Before we could do that, OH needed to empty and take down the old shed, as we have plans to replace it. 

It's always surprising how much junk you tend to hang onto when you've got a shed. We had quite a lot, much of which never gets used. 

Once OH had taken everything out, I had a look through the contents, in order to decide what to keep and what to let go of. We had some camping equipment.  Not a lot, just a tent, a camping cooker and a few pans and plastic plates, etc. We decided to keep all of this, as we may use it in the future. I washed it all and packed it away in some boxes, as we're going to store that in OH's office until we get a new shed.

I also sorted through some garden tools and transferred a few useful things into the greenhouse and some others into the little shed, that we are keeping for the time being. It doesn't fit much in, but it should keep some things dry until the new shed is built. Much of the rest was probably going to be taken to the tip or be donated.

OH, meanwhile, proceeded to remove the fence panels. Luckily, all of our adjoining neighbours (there are three of them) on the remaining two sides of the garden, had their own fences in situ, so this made it possible to remove our fence panels before putting up new ones. Whilst he did this, I began cutting up the vegetation that was dislodged by removing the fences. 

There were climbers along the bottom fence, which took a while to chop up. We will be removing these completely, as they are quite invasive and don't fit in with our plans, as they will become difficult to control in the future. They have been lovely to have there and have provided a lovely backdrop over the years, but more recently, they've become a bit of a problem, as they tend to multiply and smother anything they come into contact with.

Here's a photo of the garden with all the fence panels taken down:  

We almost don't even need to put our own fences up, but it will give ourselves and our neighbours much more privacy and provide a more cohesive look.

As you can see from the above photographs, by the time we'd finished there was a lot of debris to remove and take to the tip. OH will be hiring a van to do this, hopefully some time this week. Once that has been done, there will be room to move once again and to progress to the next job, which will involve a lot of pruning to get some of our trees under control. I know it's probably not the best time of year to do this, but it needs to be done. Once it is done, OH can start to rebuild the fences and we can prepare the bottom of the garden for a new shed/garden room.

I'll keep posting as work progresses. It's very exciting, I can't wait to make more progress.

Yorkshire Charity Shopping Haul

As promised in this week's blog post, after visiting family in Yorkshire for a few days last week, here's a charity shop haul from our few days away. The items were bought in several different charity shops over the course of the few days we were there.

The first few items were bought from Age UK. This particular shop had lots of nice things in it. I tried on about 6 different items, but came away with just two items of clothing, a pair of sandals and some new tights. I paid approximately £15 in total.

The first item was this lovely linen mix blouse from George at ASDA. It's a big size, but looks okay.  The embroidery on the sleeves caught my eye and I liked it when I tried it on. It will be good to throw on with a pair of shorts on hot summer days to walk the dog or do some gardening. It cost £2.99.

The next item, I thought was so pretty. It's essentially a high necked, long sleeved, ribbed sweater, but it was the detailing on the sleeves that sold it to me. It has a net frill on each cuff which is so pretty. At £4.99, this was definitely coming home with me.  The high neck was also surprisingly flattering. I may still get some wear out of it this spring, if not, it may be a new favourite next autumn.

One of the first things I saw, when I walked into the shop, was this lovely pair of Clark's navy suede sandals. There were actually two pairs. One pair was a mustard colour, half a size larger and had some marks on the suede top, then there was this pair, which are a size 6. I tried these on first with socks on and they fitted okay and felt really comfortable. They are pretty immaculate. I don't think they've hardly been worn at all. At £5.99, they were an absolute steal. I have a few navy coloured things that I can wear in the summer months and I thought these would work great with them.

Lastly, at Age UK, I picked up this pair of seamed tights from Primark in size Large for 99p. I'm hoping they fit, as I tend to wear their size large these days.

A couple of doors away, is a great British Red Cross shop. They often sell quite a lot of new Zara clothing. I bought a new with tags Zara dress here last year, for a family wedding we went to in June. This visit, they had this lovely, new with tags, Zara dress: 

I thought it was so striking that I had to try it on, despite it being size XS. It didn't actually look that small, as it's quite full, being tiered, so I thought I'd give it a go. I was very pleasantly surprised when it did fit quite well, a little snug on top, but otherwise very comfortable and so cute. It is quite short, but I decided to buy it, as I loved the machine embroidered design and it went well with the navy sandals I'd already bought. 

My legs are more toned since I've been working out on a regular basis, so I can hopefully get away with wearing it. I thought it would be great to wear for another family wedding we're going to later this year. I may have to wear tights with it. This dress cost £20, which is quite a lot for a charity shop, but it is new and was originally £49.99. It is a bit of a gamble, as I may chicken out of wearing it, when it gets nearer the day, we'll see. I really love it though.

I paid one more visit to another charity shop and found this pair of grey gym leggings.  

They too, look as if they've never been worn. They are a bit on the snug side, being a size M, but wearable with a long T-shirt. I'm currently finding that as I'm losing weight, some of my gym leggings (and trousers generally, for that matter) are getting way too baggy and I need to size down. This is more of a future proofing purchase, anticipating possibly more weight loss, but they are also wearable now. They cost £5, which I thought was a very good price and they look good quality too, but the proof will, of course, be in the wearing.

My/Our final charity purchase was made at the Tip Shop, which is run by a local Hospice charity at the local refuse tip. Here I found this great set of cast iron dumbells for £10. 

I thought these were very good value, as they include the dumbell bars and locks and 4 x 2kg cast iron plates. Unfortunately, 4 x 1kg plates that should have been in the set weren't there, which is a big pity, as it would have made them much more versatile, but regardless, these should help me to progress with my strength training, as I try to increase the weights I work with.

In addtion to this set, there was also a set of 4 x 5kg cast iron plates for sale for £20. We thought this was quite a good deal, as to buy these online you have to factor in postage which is expensive due to how heavy they are or alternatively travel to collect them from sellers. They are in very good condition and are the same make as the dumbell set and I made sure that they could be attached to the dumbell bars for use.  

These are mainly for OH to use, so he paid for them, as they are too heavy for me at the moment, but on their own they could be used in some exercises. Unfortunately, they didn't come with a long barbell bar, but if I can find one at some point in the future, then this set could be very useful going forward, for both of us to do more weight work at home. I was really thrilled to buy all of these, as I'd been looking online to buy some in recent weeks and then just stumbled upon them. Serendipity at work, maybe.

So, as far as I was concerned, it was a very successful couple of days in terms of thrift shopping, in spite of spending quite a bit of money. I feel it was very much worth the outlay though, because of the usefulness of the items we/I bought and how much I liked them. I hope you liked this post. What did you like the best from the items I bought?

A Change of Scenery W/E 23rd March 2024

The week started with me getting up early on Sunday morning. I hadn't slept well, and in the end I just got up and had a shower to wake me up. This, and the fact that OH wasn't cycling this week and took the dog out, did mean that I had lots of time to chill on Sunday morning and stitch. 

I was due at work on Sunday afternoon again, my first shift in 6 days. I love having so much time off. I can get on with projects at home and get my exercise in, which suits me perfectly. I worked a 4 hour shift, followed by some staff training afterwards, which we needed to stay for.

LB flew to Northern Ireland for a few days on Monday morning, to stay with a friend from Uni, so we caught up on social media on Sunday before she headed off.

After the Monday morning dog walk, I booked myself into the gym and headed off there. I had a good session and managed to use my headphones to listen to a podcast whilst I trained, which made the cardio part of the workout (not my favourite) much more bearable. Usually, I can't get a signal in the gym, but for some reason I could on this occasion, which I was really happy about.

Later, after lunch, I did some food shopping locally. We had arranged to go away for a few days on Tuesday. OH had booked us some accommodation in Yorkshire, to visit family. I was really looking forward to getting out of London. I still shopped though, so that we had food to come back to on Thursday. (It was all perfectly fine in the fridge whilst we were away and saved me shopping when we got back)

I had booked my usual class at the gym on Tuesday.  I walked the dog first and then went off to the class. LB was expecting a parcel to be delivered, which wasn't that convenient as we were going away later, but luckily it arrived before we set off. It was her new glasses and sunglasses from Specsavers. She'll be excited to get them. They had an offer of two designer frames for the price of one and as LB had seen a couple of frames she really liked, OH and I agreed to split the cost so that she could get both prescription sunglasses and regular glasses.

Once the parcel had arrived, I'd showered and we'd finished packing everything into the car, we set off to Yorkshire. I picked up a prescription at the chemist on the way out and, as always, I had packed a lunch and snacks for the journey.  We were lucky to have a relatively clear run and got there around 5.30pm, which wasn't too bad.

OH had rented us a house in a large village not far from where his parents live. We'd never stayed there before, so it made the trip a bit more interesting. We rarely stay in the same place twice, preferring to try out lots of different accommodation and areas and this property was pet friendly, had good reviews and was reasonably priced. 

We stopped off at OH's parents first and stayed there for a couple of hours chatting before heading to the accommodation.  It was very nice and recently renovated, so it was immaculate. We cooked a quick supper of some pasta I'd taken with us, and then we could relax for the evening.

On Wednesday, we returned to OH's parents, but stopped off at a couple of my favourite charity shops on the way. I bought some very lovely things there, to potentially wear at a wedding in a few weeks time. I'll post separately about my purchases from this trip, as I bought a few different things from various different places.

OH's sister was at his parents' house when we got there, so we got to catch up with her, which was nice and OH was able to do some repairs that his mum needed doing, so it was a sociable and productive day. Later, I went off to visit a couple of my favourite local shops for a couple of hours and then eventually, we left OH's parents and met my sister for supper at a pub not far from where we were staying.  We had a lovely evening catching up. It was good to see her and her husband.  Eventually, we got back to the house and chilled for the rest of the evening. It had been a busy day, but we'd achieved quite a lot.

Thursday, we were heading home. I woke really early as I didn't sleep well. I think I'd drunk too much diet coke the night before and the caffeine kept me awake. Anyway, I had a shower, packed up, cleaned up the kitchen and then I took the dog for a walk around the village and stopped to take a look at the local market. There was a stall selling dog treats, so I bought a few different ones for the dog.

We packed up the car and left soon after, but before heading back to OH's parents for a final visit, I got in my usual Boyes visit. I didn't buy too much this visit, but I did need some makeup that I use regularly, and LB needed me to get her a particular ball of wool to finish a project she had started. I can't return to Yorkshire without visiting this store. It's like a home from home. The area of the town in which it is situated, is a very nostalgic place for me, as both my parents were brought up in the area and we often visited our grandparents' homes there when we were young.

After a final visit to OH's parents, during which OH and his mum took lots of rubbish to the nearby tip, we set off for home, dropping in at the Tip Shop on our way, so I could take a look around. We ended up buying some great items that I was looking to buy anyway, at a good price. Again, I will post about these separately.

The journey home was pretty good too. It was so good to get home and get back to our normal routine. We always enjoy going away, but we love returning home.

On Friday, I booked myself into the gym. I needed to work off all the food I'd eaten whilst we'd been away. It's very hard to stick to my regular routine and calorie allowance when we're constantly visiting people and out and about. I hadn't eaten too badly, but I had gone over my calorie deficit most days.

When I got back from the gym, I had a lunch and then had a few hours to chill and catch up with jobs before I was due to go to work on Friday evening. Work was good. I even got to leave a little early, which was nice.

I wasn't working on Saturday, which was good. I didn't go to the last gym session of the term as I'd gone the day before, but I did walk the dog , as OH was cycling. It was a lovely sunny morning, so I wore my new sunglasses for the first time on the dog walk. We had a lovely long walk.

In the afternoon, OH and I set to work on our garden renovations. Initially, it was just clearing the existing structures and vegetation. OH proceeded to empty and take down the old shed and all of the remaining damaged fence panels. We were able to do this as our neighbours adjoining gardens all have their own fences insitu. Whilst he did that, I spent my time sorting out the shed contents and chopping up vegetation to go into our brown garden waste bins.  

Our local council are starting to charge residents for garden waste collection from the beginning of May, which made it all the more important to try to get on top of the garden before that comes into effect. OH doesn't want to pay a yearly charge, so we'll probably do tip runs when we need to get rid of our garden waste.  We do compost what we can too.

Our work in the garden was interrupted by hail, but we'd virtually finished at this point. It is now looking worse before it gets better, as it is filled with debris that needs to be taken to the tip, but at least we've made the most of probably the best spring day so far this year and got started. I'll show you the progress we made in another post.

In all, Saturday ended up being a very productive day for us and than later we could just relax and enjoy the evening. This week has gone by so quickly, but it's been a varied week and the change of scenery going up to Yorkshire was beneficial.

I hope you've had a good week.

A Varied Week and a Fabric Stash Count - W/E 16th March 2024

This week has been quite a mixed one. It started off with some bad news for LB. There was another incident at her Uni halls, which shook things up. She was away at the time with her work placement, which I am grateful for to be honest. 

The weather was filthy on Sunday, grey and rainy all day and night. Horrible. I'm over all of this rain, although I know we need it to replenish the water table. Despite the rain, OH and our neighbour managed to get a few more fence panels up, which was good.

I was working on Sunday afternoon, so after a leisurely morning sewing and pottering, I headed off to work. It was not as crazy busy as the previous Sunday had been, so passed without incident. I even left a bit early. 

LB, meanwhile, was travelling back from the event she'd been to over the weekend, but unfortunately the minibus got a puncture and they had to call the RAC, who came out to them. Luckily, they were at a service station and not on the motorway, which was something else to be grateful for.

As a consequence, she was home later than expected, so OH and I picked her up from the drop off point and brought her home. It was good to get her home, especially as it sounded like she'd had quite a manic weekend. She needed to rest and get a good night's sleep before heading back to Uni the next day.

On Monday morning, LB packed up and headed back to Uni. I dropped her off at the station and then took the dog to a different place we don't often go to for a walk, which made a change. It was another grey and depressing day. I'm really looking forward to some sunshine now, when we do eventually get any.

Later, I did the weekly shop locally, as I was due to work in the evening. The time flew by and after putting away the shopping and having some lunch, it was time to get ready and go to work.

On Tuesday morning, I'd booked into my usual class. I made sure to book the day after last week's class and got a place easily for once. It felt good to go back. I did appreciate it more for missing the previous week's class. Three sessions in the gym in one week was too much for me, I prefer a bit of diversity in my exercise regime.

After returning from the class and having lunch, I decided to hole myself up in the sewing room and do an audit of my fabric stash, which I posted about earlier in the week.  It was an interesting and enlightening process, when you actually quantify your fabric collection.

On Wednesday, I had a quiet day at home. I just didn't really want to go anywhere. OH took the dog out and dropped in at the allotment to plant some potato seeds and then when he returned, we moved a few things around in the garden to straighten things up after work was done on the fence at the weekend.

I spent the rest of the day working on my Hexi Star patchwork project and then continuing with the fabric count I'd started the day before. This time, I tackled the fullest drawer of fabric. It felt very satisfying to get this one done.  The remainder of my stash is divided between various locations in the sewing room, so it will be a case of working my way around the room, digging out, measuring and documenting every piece. There's no real hurry to complete the count, so I'll just do a bit here and a bit there when I've got some spare time and the inclination, until it's all been accounted for. I'm quite enjoying the process, but spending at most a couple of hours at a time on it is quite enough.

Later, on Wednesday evening, OH and I watched a good film on Netflix called Infinite Storm.

Thursday, was a busy day. When I got up, I needed to I take my 4 weekly body measurements and selfies, as part of documenting my fitness/weightloss journey. My weight loss has once again slowed down this last week, which is disappointing, but I guess that's just part and parcel of the process. I still lost 1/2 lb and my measurements reduced very slightly, but I just have to be patient and consistent and hopefully things will continue to move in the right direction. After having lost 2 and a half stone since last June, I'm down to losing the last 10 or 11 pounds to reach my preferred weight goal and I kind of expect it to be more difficult at this stage and possibly take much longer. I may need to change some of the things that I'm currently doing to get the eventual outcome that I'm hoping for.

After doing the above, I took the dog out for a walk and then after lunch, I booked a gym session and headed off there.

In the evening, OH and I had been invited to an art exhibition opening night, by an artist friend of his, so we headed into town for that, which was quite exciting, as I've never actually been to one before. It was taking place in Soho in Central London, so we got the train and tube to Oxford Circus and had a nice walk around the area on our way to the event.

It was a nice sociable evening meeting and talking to people I didn't know well. After the opening, we retired to the pub for an hour with everyone and then headed off on our own to get something to eat before coming home.

On Friday morning, I came across an interesting course that I fancied studying locally, whilst scrolling Instagram. Sometimes doomscrolling can have positive outcomes. I applied for the course. It starts in April through to July and it's a Level 2 qualification. I won't give details yet, I'll wait and see if I get onto it. It's not too expensive for what it is and I may be able to get help with the cost, or possibly even pay it in installments over 10 months, which might be a good option.

Once I'd eventually got up, I needed to pick up the car from where we'd left it near the train station the night before, so I took the dog for a walk and picked it up en route. Meanwhile, our neighbour had rented another van and he and OH loaded it with all the rubbish and debris from the fence replacement work and took it to the tip. They then put up the rest of the new fence. It was nice to come back to a completed fence, no rubbish cluttering up the decking and and raised beds newly unearthed and ready to sew some salad seeds into. Here's a picture of the progress:

All I needed to do was sweep up the debris left behind on the decking and through the house which was very easy. I then decided to do a bit of pruning and hang out some bird seed. Our next job will be to dismantle the shed and heavily prune the trees on the other side of the garden, so that we can take the old fence panels out and put new fence panels in. Exciting. I can't wait to get stuck in and get it done. We just need some dry weather to be able to get on with it.

After lunch on Friday, I retired to the sewing room and then promptly fell asleep for the rest of the afternoon. I must have needed it.

On Saturday, I headed off to the gym first thing and got in a free session. Next week is the last free session until the end of April. The end of term comes around so quickly. 

OH picked me up from the gym, as we had an errand to run. There was another Zero Waste event today and I had a bunch of stuff that had been clogging up the landing to take and donate.  It felt good to drop this off and clear the space.  There's just one bag left that I need to take to the charity shop and a couple of items I need to drop off at the Little Free Library. With the pile of doom gone, it looks a lot better.

I wasn't working this Saturday and OH was out cycling in the afternoon, so I had the house to myself to potter around in. I spent most of it sewing. The Hexi star quilt is coming along nicely and is currently a joy to work on. I love having a hobby that is so inexpensive to participate in and brings me such pleasure.

Ultimately, it's been a varied week this week, with some progress being made, which makes me happy.