The Garden Renovation Continues

With the shed now built and just the interior to complete, which is mainly down to me, this weekend, OH decided to start work on replacing the rest of the decking outside the back door. It was in a very sorry state. It's probably been down 10-15 years which is pretty standard for wooden decking, so it was time to rebuild it.

Before he could start, we had to move all of the plants from the decking for the duration.  This unearthed our resident toad, who is a real cutie, but I didn't manage to get a photo of him. Instead, here's a couple of pictures of the dire state of the decking:

The damage is mainly at the edges where we've had plants standing on the wood, hence why I want to use rollers, as mentioned in a previous post, to keep the plants off the new decking when it's down. 

OH also took off the gate to the far end of the garden, as we no longer need it. It used to allow us some control over the movements of the dog at times when necessary, but, of course, she's no longer with us, so all it now does is cast shade on the narrow border behind, which I will now be able to plant up.

As OH ripped up the decking, I went around collecting it together and bagging it up, ready to take to the tip. An hour and a half later and it was all done and bagged up, save for a few remnants (we ran out of bags) and the joists, which OH needs to assess to see if we can re-use some of them.  

Things always look worse before they get better, but a good morning's work and good progress made. I'll keep you posted.

A Week with Some Free Time and Some Disappointing News

This week started on Sunday with a free session at the gym. They were having an Open Weekend and you could book certain gym sessions for free, so I took advantage and went to the earliest session I could at 9am.

It was quiet in the gym, but I had a good workout. I needed it, as I'd eaten way more than I probably should have over the previous couple of days, partly due to being out and about and then partly due to being a bit hungover and tired. It felt good to get back to exercising and eating more healthily again.

When I got back from the gym, I did a few jobs before making some lunch and then in the afternoon, I tidied up around the house, putting laundry away, washing up, watering the plants and getting the house back to normal post visit.

When OH got back from cycling, we later headed out to the allotment to harvest and water. Here's a little video of the plot:

It's looking a bit messy this year. OH's heart hasn't really been in it since our dog died. He doesn't feel the same way about going to the plot, as he misses taking the dog who always used to accompany him when he went.

LB, meanwhile, started a new job on Sunday. She's working in a small independent shop a few miles away. There is another branch on our high street and she might get to work there sometimes too, which would be very convenient for her, as there'd be no commute. She came home from work and had had a good day. She'd enjoyed it, which is all one can ask for.

On Monday, I went out to do the weekly shop as usual. It took me most of the day. I managed to use a 10% off voucher off my main grocery haul, which was welcome. I didn't do a lot when I got back, save make supper and chill and then went to bed early, which I've done for the last couple of nights, as I've felt really tired. I was looking forward to having a bit of free time this week.

The free time didn't really work out as planned on Tuesday. The day didn't get off to a good start when I got an email telling me it was my last chance to provide financial information supporting LB's student loan application for the forthcoming academic year, so that quickly became a priority for the day. I tried to do it before I went to a class at the gym, but I had all sorts of trouble getting into the system. I gave up in the end and went to my class feeling very frustrated.

The class was good though and calmed me down. When I got home, I made some lunch and then had to get ready to go to an appointment at the dentist. It didn't go well. I've been having trouble with the tooth that was crowned 18 months ago. I had a month of chronic pain shortly after it was done and now I keep getting abcesses. Turns out I need a root canal on it. I'm really not happy about it. 

I almost wish I'd had it extracted instead of trying to save it, as I've had nothing but problems since the work was done. I'm not sure I want to go ahead with the treatment as it is very expensive, not to say uncomfortable. I may just plump for an extraction. I can't really face either option, but I've got to make a decision in the next week or so. I just felt very disappointed when I came away. It's the last thing I need at the moment.

I got home and tried again to submit information with regard to the student loan application. It took me the rest of the afternoon and a second phone call to the Student Finance line to work out what I needed to do, I eventually got it all done and submitted. I hope it helps get her the best maintenance award possible, but I think she'll get even less this year than last year, which isn't great. So, Tuesday was a bit of a write off, but at least a few things got done. It was all very draining and exhausting though. 

Later, I decided to do some decluttering and went through all of my out of season clothing, putting aside quite a lot to donate. Many of the items I decided to donate are now too big for me and I've decided not to hang onto them. I don't intend to go backwards to the point of where I started with my weight loss and I don't have room to keep everything. I have held onto a few favourites, but I may let them go too at some point. 

This task was very satisfying and I felt slightly more positive after completing it. I put aside a bag of slightly better quality clothing, for LB to sell on Vinted and keep the money towards her overdraft, if she wants to list them, of course. Otherwise, they can go to the charity shop and the rest to the next Zero Waste event in September. Next, I want to go through my wardrobe again and get super ruthless. It's too full and it's making it hard to pick out the clothes I want to wear. I think there's scope to get rid of many more items from in there. I've kind of changed my style over the last few months and I'm not sure I'll ever wear some of the items in there again.

On Wednesday, I had my last free day before I go back to work for a long stretch and I wanted to use it to do something productive but enjoyable, so I decided to spend the day in the garden. The main job I wanted to do was to wash all of the dirty plant pots that we'd used in the first half of the year. Often I leave this job until the following spring, but I felt compelled to do it early this year, as once they are all put away, it helps keep the green house and decking a lot tidier.

I also took a bit of time to pot on a few outdoor plants and an indoor plant, using up all of the indoor and outdoor compost and I cleaned out and tidied the greenhouse too. I didn't take a before picture, but here's a little video of how it looks now:

I bought a couple of these circular heavy duty dollies in the middle of Lidl this week. They are perfect for our large outdoor plants in pots. Once the decking has been replaced, which urgently needs doing, I want to use these to stop the decking rotting where the plant pots stand. They were a really good price as they were on offer for £7.99 each and then I got another 10% off with my voucher which made them £7.20. They can take up to 250lbs in weight too, which is good. I may buy another 2 or 3 if I can find any, as we've got a few more large plants in pots on the decking. It also makes them very easy to move around, of course.  I had a very enjoyable day. It felt very therapeutic to get out into the garden and straighten things up.

Thursday, I was due at work in the evening for the first shift of a 5 day stretch. I was a bit late getting up, as I didn't sleep well, but once I was up, I decided to make the day count. I made some porridge for breakfast, and put some fruit on the stove top to make more jam. I had three and a bit bags of fruit in the freezer and a little bit of fruit in the fridge, so I used two full bags and the small bag and bit from the fridge. I left one bag to make jam with at a later date, as I didn't think it would all fit in the pan.  I also put some jars in the oven to sterilise, ready to put the jam into.

Whilst that was slowly cooking down, I sorted some laundry and put another wash on, which brought me more or less up to date with the laundry. Once the jam was made, two jars this time, I had some lunch and then later got ready to go to work.

I went to work early, as I needed to stop off at B&Q to take some curtain rings back that I'm not now going to use, as I bought tab top curtains for the shed. Once that was done, I went into work. Work was okay. I was busy all night, so it passed quickly and then I got to go home early, which I'm not going to argue with.

I got up quite late again on Friday. When I jumped on the scales, I wasn't too happy, as I'm struggling to lose the few pounds I put on whilst on holiday. I think my body has got fed up of being in a calorie deficit and doesn't want to play ball and mentally I'm finding it harder to stick to it lately. Anyway, as a consequence, I decided I'd better go to the gym today, so I booked a session and headed off. I had a good work out and then on the way home I stopped off at the allotment, as we'd run out of lettuce. I harvested the last of the lettuce, and a few other things, watered and weeded as much as I could and then headed back home for lunch.

There was one lovely surprise at the allotment. One of my dahlias had flowered and it was a beauty. Here's a picture:

It's always the small things that bring pleasure.

When I got home,  I made myself a nice lunch and then chilled until it was time to get ready for work again.

It was a bit grey outside and spitting with rain, so it seemed like a good day to stay at home today.

Work was busy but good. When I got home, LB hadn't had a good day at work though. I won't go into details here, but suffice to say, as her mum, I wasn't happy. I had a good chat to her and reminded her that she doesn't have to stay, if she really doesn't like it. I'm not advocating quitting at the slightest setback, but in some circumstances it can be the right thing to do.

Saturday morning, I got up to find OH out in the garden moving things around. He was starting work on pulling up the rest of the old decking outside the back door, but more about that in another post.

Later, after lunch, I dropped OH off at the Velodrome for a cycle race, so that I could take the car to work and then came back home, chilled for a while and then got ready to go out to work. Work was super busy, but we got finished half and hour early and were able to go home. LB had had a good day at work today, so that was good news. I was glad to get to the end of this week.

Busy Days and a Family Visit - W/E 20th July 2024 - Part 2

From Wednesday this week, I needed to start getting the house ready for visitors, namely OH's sister, her husband and their teenage granddaughter, who were arriving on Thursday afternoon. I'd done a lot of cleaning the previous week, so it was more a case of refreshing some rooms and cleaning the one's I hadn't got around to.

Before getting started on Wednesday, I went for a walk to forage some blackberries for jam. It took me a couple of hours, but I came back with quite a lot, which I froze until I have time to make the jam.

After lunch, I set to on cleaning the two reception rooms. I'd cleaned them a few weeks before, when I'd changed the rooms around for the summer months, so they weren't too bad. I just dusted, vacuumed and mopped the floors.

I then continued down through the hall to the vestibule and downstairs toilet making sure everywhere was clean and tidy.

On Thursday, it was a case of cleaning the bathroom, a quick vacuum and mop upstairs and in the kitchen and then changing the bedding in time for our visitors arriving. We were still cleaning when our visitors arrived. Such is life. I was in the process of getting ready for work and just needed to mop the bathroom floor and then put everything away. 

Unfortunately, I was due at work on Thursday night, so I just got to say hello and chat for an hour or so, before I had to head off to work, leaving them to OH and LB. Work started off quiet and then got quite busy, so passed pretty quick in the latter half of the shift. Everyone was in bed by the time I got home, after a long journey down here.

On Friday, we had a nice breakfast and then headed into town for the day. First stop was The Lookout at 8 Bishopsgate, which is a new viewing platform in the City of London. It's free to go and see the amazing view of London from there, but you need to book online before turning up.  The platform is on the 50th floor and the views are absolutely amazing, especially as it was a super hot, bright, sunny day. It was definitely well worth a visit.

From there we stopped off at the Cafe on the Corner which is just next door and enjoyed 15% off their wraps for lunch. We were given vouchers at the Lookout for this and the wraps were lovely. I had mango and beetroot and it was super tasty.

We then hopped on a bus to London Bridge, where we'd booked to go to the Fashion and Textile Museum The Biba Story Exhibition, featuring the story of Barbara Hulanicki's amazing success with her Biba fashion and lifestyle brand in the 1960's and 1970's. It was a great exhibition that I really enjoyed. Here's a few of the highlights for me:

From here we caught another bus to Covent Garden, where our youngest visitor wanted to do some shopping. We mainly left the youngsters to it here and went to the pub, but we did go to a couple of shops with them.

Once they'd finished shopping, we all headed off to get some supper in Soho, which was nice, before the girls went off to a theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue to see the musical Hades Town, which is based on Greek mythology. They really liked the show and we enjoyed chatting in another pub in Soho, whilst they watched it. We then all headed home exhausted from a full and busy day, but a good one where we all had a good time despite the 30 degree heat.

On Saturday, we all woke up a bit groggy from the day before and had breakfast together before our visitors departed to make the long journey back to Yorkshire. We'd all enjoyed the visit and it felt strange after they left, as we'd been so busy getting ready for their visit in the week leading up to it, suddenly we had free time, but it was nice to just sit back and chill with no more cleaning or entertaining to do. I ended up having a nap in the shed and then watching Mrs Harris Goes to Paris on Netflix, which I enjoyed.

It was a busy but enjoyable week.

A Lot of Activity and Some Garden Purchases - W/E 20th July 2024 - Part One

This week started off with a free day to do as I pleased on Sunday. I got up and did a bit of sorting in the sewing room and found a few things to donate. I also found a dress that I was going to sell as it didn't fit, but when I tried it on, it fitted perfectly and I really liked it, so that was a win.

In the morning, OH and I ventured to the allotment to pick some lettuce and water the plot. There were a few berries to pick and a few peas, but the latter ended up being eaten by me straight from the pods.

We then wandered up the high street, which has a Sunday market. I needed to get some white spirit to clean up the shed windows after painting and we needed some food, as there wasn't much left in the fridge to make lunch.

After lunch, I attempted to clean the shed windows, but the white spirit didn't work. Instead I had to use nail varnish remover, as the acetone in it worked a treat. Who'd have thought.

Later, OH and I went out to B&Q to look for some garden furniture, but when we got to our local store there was very little choice. We did get a curtain pole for the shed though and OH put it up later.

When we got back, LB was in the middle of re-organising her room, but was suffering from overwhelm and needed a hand, so I spent a couple of hours helping her move furniture and clean up. She was happy with the outcome, which is what matters. After that I just chilled for the evening, whilst OH watched the football final.

Monday, was pretty standard. I went out of town to do the weekly shop as usual. I managed to get everything we needed and then I needed to go to work.  Work was very quiet, probably due to the torrential rain, which meant that I got to leave a little early.

I found a rug for the shed at work. It cost just £17.99 and is washable which is great. Here's a picture of it in situ:

 It's starting to look cosy in there now.

On Tuesday, I booked myself into the gym instead of going to my usual class. I quite enjoyed the change to be honest and came away feeling like I'd had a good work out. I still haven't shifted the few pounds that I put on on holiday, so I'm working at getting it off again.

On the way home from the gym, I spotted a vintage secretaire/bureau in a local shop. I really liked it and I needed a new desk as LB was taking back the one I've been using in the sewing room. To be honest, I don't use it to sew on in any case, as I put a board on the bed and sew on there as it allows me more room.

I did still want some kind of desk to sit at and journal though and this looked like a good solution as it fitted everything neatly including my sewing machine and I could even lock it up as it had a key.  I decided to buy it and brought it home, polished it with beeswax and put it in situ. I'm very happy with it.  It's a very simple piece from the 1960's and fits in well with all the other vintage stuff in the sewing room.

It also takes up way less space, which helps when this room is also being used as a spare bedroom for visitors.

Other good news on Tuesday, was that LB found out that she'd got the job she'd interviewed for the week before. She starts work on Sunday. She'd also posted a few things on Vinted and sold some overnight, so that was another financial win for her.

Later on Tuesday, we all went to IKEA and B&Q in Greenwich, to source some garden furniture. After a bit of deliberation, we settled on two chairs and a small table from IKEA, as we don't have too much room in the garden for lots of furniture. Here's a picture:

It just gives us somewhere nice to sit out in the sun. We also bought a garden bench from  B&Q which was a steal at £62 on clearance. I've always wanted a bench, so I was very happy. It is now situated underneath our cherry tree.

It was quite a successful shopping expedition. I also bought a pair of tab top curtains for £10 from IKEA. These are to partition off the storage area of the shed. They will save me a lot of time making some and there will be lots of spare fabric too to make cushion covers or blinds, as they are way too long.

All I now need to do is make the sofa cover and hang the curtains, which I'll do once our weekend visitors have been and gone, We are also still awaiting delivery of the solar lighting that I ordered last week, which I'm hoping will arrive soon. We've furnished the shed on a very small budget. It is fine for our needs. We can sit in there and I can do my weights in there, which was the original purpose we had in mind. It gives a different perspective on the garden too.

So a busy few days, but we achieved a lot in a short space of time.

A Week of Getting on Top of Things - W/E 13th July 2024

This week started with my being at work for most of Sunday. I worked an 11-6pm shift, which I don't mind, if I'm honest, as at least I get home and eat at a reasonable hour. It's usually busy on a Sunday though and today was no exception. As shifts go, it wasn't a bad one.

When I got home, OH and LB had put the final coat of sealant on the front of the shed and OH also put the hardware on the door, so the outside is now finished. The inside just needed sanding and sealing and the floor painting and then it would be ready to use, which was very exciting. 

On Monday, I got up and out early to do our weekly shop. I tried to stick to just what we needed, but it was still a big shop, as I'm now shopping for 3 and not 2 for the duration of the summer, with LB being home. I was disappointed that the large out of town supermarket, where I usually recycle plastic bags and packaging, has now done away with this facility. I don't know anywhere else that does this, so they'll be going in landfill from now on sadly.

When I got home from shopping, I put everything away and then needed to get ready and go to work, which was okay. Whilst I was at work, OH had sanded the inside of the shed and LB had started painting the floor.  OH had decided not to seal the inside walls and ceiling.

I managed to book into my usual class at the gym on Tuesday, last minute again. I went and it was okay, but I did find myself getting a bit irritated by some of the other attendees, several of whom were arguing over where they positioned themselves in the class. I think I might change up my routine for a couple of weeks, as I'm feeling like I need to. I may go back to the gym for a little while.

When I got home, LB decided to paint the shed floor. She did a great job and finished it whilst the rain was pouring down all afternoon. The garden was so boggy and wet. It was so depressing.

Anyway, OH and I went to the allotment in the evening after supper, to get some lettuce and I picked the rest of the gooseberries and blackcurrants whilst there. I froze them on this occasion, as I didn't have enough to make jam. I'll wait until I've foraged some blackberries and then I'll combine them all.

On Wednesday, I started work cleaning the house for a visitor we were expecting at the weekend. I began with the spare bedroom/sewing room, where she'll be staying, which was quite messy. I needed to thin it out quite a bit, as it was very cluttered. I also did quite a bit of dusting. It made me focus and put some things in their proper place, rather than leaving them lying around. I also started putting more things aside to donate. Just a few, but at least it is more things leaving the house. Hopefully, it will look okay by the time she gets here, although there's still a bit of work to do on it.

Later, after lunch, I stayed downstairs and started work cleaning one side of the kitchen. It took the rest of the day to get this clean and clean out the oven, which I hadn't done in a while. I finally installed a sheet I'd bought ages ago to line the bottom of the oven, to make it easier to clean, as any drips drop on to it and you take the sheet out and clean it, as opposed to cleaning the base of the oven. I'm hoping it will make life a little easier going forward.

I was due at the doctors first thing on Thursday for a follow up appointment. It went well and I had a good chat to the doctor who was very nice.

When I got home, OH had dissembled the raised bed next to the shed, laid plastic down over the soil and paths to deter cats littering and he'd also cleared the beds, so that I could plant out lots of plants I'd put aside. He then went off to the tip to dispose of all the rubbish and clear some space in the garden.

I got straight on with planting out the plants in the borders, which cleared quite a lot of pots off the decking. I then swept up the decking, which left the garden looking a lot tidier in time for our visitor.

I then went indoors and continued to clean the rest of the kitchen and downstairs toilet. It took the rest of the afternoon, but it was another necessary cleaning job done. 

After supper, I decided to move the sofa from LB's room into the shed and start to make it into a comfortable and usable space. OH helped me to carry it into place. I also moved all my weights and barbell in there too, so that I can start to use them in there. I spent most of the rest of the evening in there relaxing. It was so calming just watching and listening to the leaves on the trees moving. It felt like a very relaxing and meditative space, which was just what I needed after a busy day.

We've now got it quite cosy using just things that we already had around the house. I don't really want to buy lots of new 'stuff' to put into it, but I do need a large rug, so I might try to find one second hand. I have had to order some solar lighting and I will also need to buy a curtain pole, but hopefully that will be all. Everything else I can make or renovate using fabric from my stash or paint we already have in the cupboard. It won't all get done for a while, I'll just have to work on things as and when I get the time over the summer.

Friday, was the last chance I had to finish cleaning the house before our visitor's arrival. I got straight on with the cleaning. I started upstairs and worked my way down the house, tidying and cleaning each room as I went, changing bedding and vacuuming and mopping.

I was about half way through, when I got a message saying that our visitor had an emergency situation at work and couldn't make it this weekend. I was a bit disappointed, but they do work in a very responsible field and I understand that in some situations work has to come first.

At least it meant that I could down tools for a while. There was still quite a bit of cleaning to do, so after I'd got over the initial disappointment, I carried on with it at a more leisurely pace, as we have visitors next weekend too and it needed doing. Besides, it felt good to get on top of the housework for once and it means there will be much less to do next week before our visitors arrive.

On Saturday, I went out for the day with LB, which was a welcome break. LB had an appointment to view a flat near to her university. I didn't like the idea of her going on her own and as I now had a free day, I could accompany her, so we got the train over. The flat itself was okay (expensive, but that's the London property market). We got the chance to speak to one of the current tennants, as we waited and what he told us was interesting. It had a lovely big shared garden and was furnished and reasonably spacious. In the end LB and her friend decided not to go for it though.

After visiting the flat we were able to walk to her Uni. I'd not seen the campus where she studies before and it was only a 15 minute walk from the flat. It was interesting to see where she goes each day, it looked very nice. We then walked on to a nearby pub and had lunch, before catching a bus into Wimbledon, to then catch another bus to one of LB's favourite haunts. 

Wimbledon was busy and buzzing as a consequence of the tennis. There were tennis window displays in most shops and outdoor screens where you could sit and watch the tennis.  We didn't though, as I didn't see them until we were on the second bus and we were on route to a favourite big craft/fabric shop of LB's that she wanted to show me. It was an interesting shop, with everything you could think of in it. I restrained myself, as did LB and just bought some black curtain tape for the curtains I need to make for the shed. I could see why she likes it.

We then caught the tube and another bus home. It felt great to get back home after a long day out and about, but it was a nice way to round off the week.

Garden Renovation Update

Since we got back from our holiday, it's been a busy couple of weeks working on the new Garden Room when we've had some spare time, and this has now paid off. Here's a picture of the completed shed:

The construction of the shed/garden room is now finished and ready to move things into. I've still got quite a lot of work to do to make a cover for the sofa we're putting in there, to make some curtains to partition the part of the shed we're using for storage and we still need to sort out some lighting, but from this point on we can at least use it.

This morning, OH got up early and removed one of the raised beds, the one closest to the shed. This has created lots of space in front of the shed. Temporarily, he has covered the ground with plastic, mainly to deter cats from going to the toilet in the soil. It doesn't look particularly asthetic, but it will be a lot more practical, especially if we get more wet weather.

Eventually, we are hoping to have brick paths laid, but this might take some time as the ground needs to be levelled and we need to agree on a design first. We may also slightly reposition or reconfigure the raised bed at the same time, to look more aesthetic, but this will all be worked out down the line.

OH also cleared the beds at the sides of the garden, which had been covered in detritus from building the shed and took everything we didn't want to the tip. This meant that I could finally plant out some plants that I'd bought months ago to try to provide ground cover and put the neighbourhood cats off from using the garden as their toilet. Once these plants get bigger, I'm hoping they will keep the cats out.

The beds at this end of the garden are in the shade most of the day, so I stuck to shade tolerant plants such as ferns, hellebores and fatsia japonicas.

I took a little video of the inside of the shed. LB took a duvet and blanket in there the other night to watch a movie. We now can't wait to get the inside how we want it and I can't wait to start using it as a garden gym. I'll post again when it's looking more comfortable and lived in.

Finally, after clearing the decking and having a good sweep up, here's an updated picture of the view of the garden from the back door. It's looking a lot more picturesque and tidy. Just in time for some sunshine and some visitors over the next couple of weeks.

I'll post again when there's more progress been made.

Getting Back to Normal W/E 6th July 2024

We got back from our holiday in the early hours of Monday morning. We had a late flight home and spent our last day in another villa up the hill that didn't have incoming guests. It was a Godsend really, as otherwise, we would have had a long day to kill and no amenities to freshen up or get showered. As a consequence, we were able to spend our last day sitting out in the sun and wind and swim in the communal pool that we hadn't used all week.

It was a great last day, but it felt so good to finally get home and sleep in our own beds. I slept well and woke early on Monday morning. We'd literally got in, watered some plants in the garden, dropped our bags in the hall and then gone to bed, so when I got up I started the job of unpacking and washing dirty clothes, etc. I managed to get most of the unpacking done, get an early lunch, and do one wash before I headed out to do the weekly shop, as we had very little fresh food in the house.

Talking of food, OH visited the allotment on Monday morning and was surprised at how well it looked. He came home with berries, cucumbers and lettuce, so at least that was something I didn't need to buy.

I'd put on about 4lbs whilst on holiday, which wasn't too bad. I'm sure it will come off pretty easily once I get exercising again. I was very much looking forward to getting active again, after doing very little exercise on holiday, save a little walking and a bit of skipping. I took a skipping rope and a few resistance bands that I used from time to time. I also did a few weights on the beach using rocks instead of dumbells. It worked quite well. I probably looked bonkers though.

When I got on the scale, I seemed to have gained muscle mass whilst away, probably due to the rest and increased protein intake. I'm not complaining, I'll take whatever improvements I can get. OH isn't convinced by the scales, so I don't take their measurements too seriously.  Going away and eating different things was lovely, and gave me a much needed break from my normal routine too. It made me appreciate coming back and getting back into a routine of being a bit more careful.

To be honest, my first day back felt a bit grey and it was a bit chilly, I almost wished I was still on holiday. I got some not so good news by email today too, which didn't help my mood. I'm sure I'll settle back into things once I get back to the gym.

I managed to get into my usual class via a last minute cancellation on Tuesday morning, as it had been full, as it always is.  I made myself a breakfast wrap for breakfast with egg, chorizo, tomatoes and grated cheese. It's my new favourite breakfast on the days I exercise.

LB is currently looking for work over the summer, but finding it difficult to even get an interview. I know that feeling, from when I was looking for work last year. It's very demoralising. I'm hoping she finds something, as the job she really wanted and interviewed for didn't come through.

I was back at work on Tuesday evening, which was a bit of a shock to the system. I'm sure I'll get back used to it in a few days.

On Wednesday morning, I decided to go for a run. It was a late morning run in the end as it was raining earlier and I got distracted online. It was a pretty slow run too. I enjoyed it, but I am thinking that maybe running is not for me at this time in my life, as I spent the rest of the day overeating. I may do the occasional run, but I might not make it as regular as it has been. I think I may go for long walks instead, as this is also much healthier for my joints and muscles.

In the afternoon, I felt really tired as I've been waking up very early since we got back from holiday, so I went to bed for a couple of hours, after which I got up and LB and I decided to start painting the front of the shed. It needed two coats of preservative and then one coat of a sealant, so we got on with the first coat. It needed 12 hours between coats too, to properly dry and absorb into the wood. We managed most of it, but had to leave a couple of tricky bits for OH, which he did later.

On Thursday morning, I had a bit of a lie in after waking early again. It was a lovely sunny morning, so after breakfast, I decided to go for a 4km walk. It was the day of the election here in the UK, but as we'd already sent in our postal votes, we didn't need to go to the polling station.

After lunch, LB and I put the second coat of preservative on the front of the shed.  It just needs a coat of sealant on it now, which we will do when we get the chance. There's still work to be done to the inside though, before it's ready for us to use.

I was working on Thursday night and it was quite busy at work. I was glad to get home though and check out what was happening with regard to the election. I tried to stay up and watch the results come in, but i kept falling asleep on the sofa, so eventually took myself off to bed at 2am.

On Friday morning, I spent a few hours watching the election coverage. Afterwards, OH and I went over to the allotment to do some harvesting. There were lots of gooseberries to pick, as well as peas, beans, lettuce, blackcurrants and raspberries.

When I got back home, I made the berries into some jam, as we've only got one jar left from previous jam making. It made 2 1/2  jars of mixed fruit jam using what I'd harvested, plus some more fruit that I'd frozen a couple of weeks ago.

Talking of fruit and jam making, I did notice on my walk on Thursday, that there will soon be lots of blackberries to forage in the hedgerows, so I will make a point of doing that in the coming weeks, time allowing.

I also podded all the peas and chopped up the french beans and froze them together, so I had a lovely slow afternoon. Podding peas always reminds me of my childhood, as it was something I did a lot in the summer months.

On Saturday, I headed to the gym early and enjoyed the session. I then walked into town to do a few errands. I needed to do a top up shop for food as we seem to get through it more quickly now that there's three of us at home.

In the afternoon, I had a nap as I was feeling tired, then I did some mending of some clothes that had been lying around for a while, so that felt satisfying. I also dug some fabric out of my stash to make partition curtains for the new shed. I think I found some fabric that will work for this. I just need to buy a curtain pole now. I also did a bit of sorting through stuff here and there to try to thin things out. We've got visitors for the next two weekends, so I need to get the house in order. I made very small inroads today, but something is better than nothing.

Later, I had a relaxing shower and a bit of a pamper night, which is rare for me, but it rounded off the week in a positive way. 

I hope you had a good week this week.

Low Spend July 2024

Having just returned from our holiday, and having behaved like a total spendthrift for the past few months, it seemed like a good time to embark on a Low Spend month. 

I don't know if I've done one of these before, at least not for a long time anyway. Since starting my current job, I've been enjoying having disposable income to do with as I wish, but I can't really go on doing that month after month, I need to take control of my finances again, start saving and building up some reserves, as you never know what is coming down the line.

There are a few things on the horizon too, that I will need some cash for. LB needs a bit more financial help during her last year of Uni, and I want to do what I can to help her. She also desperately needs some new (to her, we'll probably buy second hand) trainers, which I've offered to buy for her. She's hoping to get a summer job, but if she can't I may also need to help her with her overdraft, so putting a bit of money aside would be very useful at the moment.

I have been putting some money aside this year, in Premium bonds or savings, and I have been putting aside money for Xmas and birthday gifts, so I've built up a bit of cash for that and did not actually use it when OH's birthday came around, so it will mainly go towards Xmas and LB's next birthday in January 2025, and I'm going to continue to do that for the rest of the year, but I want to put aside extra cash for LB mainly.

July isn't the best month to do this, as we have a few visitors coming to stay this month, for which I will probably spend a bit more than I usually would, but as I've had a good few months spending way too much money on things that aren't strictly essential, I think I need to just get on and do it and try and get my spending back under control.

I don't intend to go cold turkey on discretionary spending, but I am going to give myself a very strict budget of £100 to spend on anything that is not groceries, entertaining guests or household spending, so this will include anything I buy for the house, the shed or myself. I don't actually need anything at the moment, so hopefully this won't be too much of a challenge. We'll just have to see how things go. I'll keep you posted.

A Much Needed Holiday in Santorini

On Sunday last, we flew out to Santorini in the Greek Islands for a week for our family summer holiday. The morning was spent finishing off our packing and doing a few last minute jobs before we set off for the airport. OH had been super busy in the weeks leading up to our departure, so it was nice when he had finally finished work and could switch into holiday mode.

I didn't really know much about Santorini, until LB told us that it was a popular place with 'influencers'. All we knew on booking the holiday was that there was a direct flight from Luton airport and that it was supposed to be a very pretty island. Several people had said to me in the lead up that they'd like to go there, but to be honest, it wasn't a place we'd planned on visiting, it was just a very lucky, randomly chosen holiday due to the convenience of the flights.

We'd booked a lovely villa with a pool, situated on a hillside on the eastern side of the island, but close to the two main towns that holidaymakers visit, Fira and Oia. A lot of cruise ships visit the island and they get up to 10,000 visitors per day/week, can't remember which, but it is a huge number for an island of 16,000 or so inhabitants.

Our villa was built in the style of the old windmills that you see around the island. Here's a couple of pictures:

It was a lovely villa, which accommodated our needs for the holiday. It was up a steep hill, so a car was a must. We spent a lot of time at the villa enjoying the pool and the outdoor and indoor space. It could be quite windy on the hillside, but this made the heat much more bearable. The wind did get a bit more extreme at times though, towards the end of our stay. 

The heat in the Greek Islands is my all time favourite kind of heat, dry but punctuated with sea breezes. Talking of the sea, as you can see from the photo, we had a fantastic view of the sea too. It was so relaxing to have breakfast outside in the morning and look out at that view. 

There was a lovely little beach bar and restaurant a couple of miles down the road which served very good food. We ate there twice and the service was very good. I didn't count calories all holiday, as I needed a complete break from it. I ate lots of meat dishes and just enjoyed eating a bit of everything.

The sunsets that Santorini is famous for occur on the western side of the island, but here we got great sunrises and I managed to catch one, one morning:

We did, of course, go to see the sunset too, but avoided the very crowded viewpoints in the two towns I've already mentioned, instead choosing to catch it from a hiking trail between the two:

We did visit the towns of Fira and Oia. Fira was the more commercial of the two with many tourist shops and crowded streets filled with visitors. We enjoyed walking around and there is a cable car to take you up from the port there, as the cliff is very steep. We didn't go down to the port though. 

We did visit the Museum of Pre-History here, which was very interesting and contained artefacts found in a very important archeological site on Thira (the main island of Santorini) at Akrotiri. This site is supposed to date from Minoan times (2000-3000BC) and was buried under volcanic ash following an eruption thousands of years ago.

Another day, after spending the afternoon on the Black Beach, a black volcanic sand beach not far from the archeological site, we visited Akrotiri, where you can see the buildings that have been unearthed. It was very interesting, especially after having previously visited Crete and Pompeii. The buildings were very sophisticated considering how old they are.

One day, we also visited Oia, which is a very beautiful town. We began our visit by entering into this church in the main square, which had very ornate decoration inside, which we were not able to photograph, but it was incredibly beautiful. 

From there we walked through the lovely cobbled streets and down the many steps to the harbour, where we caught this little ferry to the island of Thirasia. 

This is a much smaller island, with a very traditional and simple way of life. The ferry was so affordable at 1 euro each way. The crossing was a little rough going, but was fun.

Once there, we got a taxi to a little village where we had lunch in a restaurant and then returned to the ferry terminal where there was a little beach. We laid on sunbeds there, paddled in the water and watched the activity of incoming ferries and water taxis before catching the last ferry back to the main island. It was a lovely afternoon and we were so glad that we went. Here's a picture of Oia taken from the ferry: 

You can see how high above the port the main town is and how far we had to walk down to catch the ferry. We got a taxi back up to the car park, as there was no cable car here, just donkeys or your own feet to carry you. The town is very beautiful though with some lovely shops and restaurants, but gets very busy at sunset and through most of the day in high season. 

Between the towns of Fira and Oia is a hiking route. It is a very beautiful and scenic route with fantastic views. One day OH and I went along part of it, he running, me walking, as it was quite hilly in parts and uneven under foot. The views were amazing, and as you get into Fira some of the hotels and villas are so beautiful, if a little exposed to the path, which many people walk. I thoroughly enjoyed this walk and here's a few photos from it:

We also visited the traditional village of Megalohori, which had free underground caves you could visit underneath the houses. This village was apparently abandoned after the most recent volcanic eruption in 1956, but has in more recent years become re-populated. It is a very pretty village, but very steep in parts.

There was also a beautiful botanic garden and music and mythology centre here called the Symposium, where we stopped for a drink in the shade of beautiful mulberry trees. They do workshops here too.

We had a very special holiday on the island. The food was good and the people very hospitable. There was probably much more we could have done, but we did enjoy what we did see and also made sure to make plenty of time to just relax. It has definitely left me with the urge to visit many more of the Greek islands in the future.

Ups and Downs - W/E 22nd June 2024

This post is a bit late, but I forgot to post it before we went away on holiday for a week, but here goes.  The week started with a long shift at work on Sunday. It was the first time I'd worked from 10.30am on a Sunday. Quite a few staff were off due to the fact that it was the first day of Eid Mubarak, so I was required to work extra hours. It was a pity that I had to work on Father's Day, but OH had gone out cycling for the morning, so at least he was doing something he enjoys. I left some gifts on the kitchen table for him, one of which was this vintage picture of a dog that looks remarkably like ours, god rest her little soul.  He liked it thankfully.

Work was super busy, but at least I got a lunch break and then had to do some online training. I was super glad to go home at 6pm though, after what felt like a long shift. When I got home, OH had finished putting in the flooring in the shed, which looked great.  

On Monday, I was due at work again from 1pm until 5pm. This meant that I had to do the weekly shop locally, which was no bad thing, save that I found the staff in local stores to be rude. I had to skip my morning run, as I just didn't have enough time this Monday.

Once I'd done the shopping and put everything away, it was time to get ready and go to work. This was hopefully my last shift for a couple of days, so I was looking forward to the break, as it had been a busy weekend work wise. Work wasn't the best shift I've had. I think I'm really in need of a holiday. It's been a bit of a grind lately. I've also been eating a lot, possibly emotional eating, but luckily I've not put weight on. OH thinks I've probably not been eating enough over the last few months, which possibly might be true.  Anyway, I was in bed by 9pm on Monday night. I think work had caught up with me. Luckily, my back has resolved itself.  Thank you for the concern expressed.

On Tuesday I had a day off thankfully. I was booked into my class as usual. I had a bit of time before setting off, so I pottered in the garden and picked the few blackcurrants that were ripe. I'll make them into jam when I've got a few more other fruits to add to them. I may have to freeze them for now. We're down to our last couple of jars of jam that I've made from previous harvests and foraging, so hopefully we won't run out completely if I can get out and about harvesting brambles this summer. It will be strange going without the dog. She was always so patient when I stopped on walks to forage. I'm feeling a bit low this week. I think her loss is hitting me harder as time goes on. At least the weather seemed a bit better this week, which was welcome.

I also did a bit of online banking and getting my finances up to date before heading to my class. The class itself was good. Afterwards, I walked down into the town centre to do a few errands. In the afternoon, I made us a beef stew with dumplings for supper and after supper OH and I headed down to the allotment to water and harvest soft fruit. We met our new neighbours who have taken on the plot next door to us. They have made inroads to the weeds and brambles that had taken over since it was given up.

On Wednesday, I had another day off work, so I went out for a run in the morning. It was fairly slow. When I got back, OH was out, so I pottered a little, had some lunch and then I took myself back to the allotment to clear the paths around our plot. There's an inspection coming up very soon, so it was as good a time as any to get it done. Here's a couple of photos of the cleared paths:

It took a couple of hours of shuffling along on my bottom rooting out the weeds between pavers with my special tool, which is invaluable for this job. Hopefully, this will suffice as our contribution, as we're away on holiday when there's a group gathering to tidy up the site.

On Wednesday night, I decided to do a bit of re-organising in the sewing room. I had bought some boxes to store my fabric in, but hadn't yet put some of them into use, so I started with that. Once I'd done that, I realised that I had a whole spare shelf in the alcove, as the boxes condensed everything and took up less space.  

As a consequence, I decided to put my craft books back on the shelf. They'd been housed in a bookcase that used to be in LB's bedroom, but when she no longer needed it, I took it and put it in front of the fireplace in the sewing room. To be honest, it was taking up valuable space in this room, which is already small, so it felt good to move everything back onto the shelves and mantle piece. The book case I decided to donate to the next Zero Waste event which was taking place a few days later. 

I needed to do a bit of vacuuming of the fireplace, as it was very dusty and there were lots of cobwebs, but it was nice to uncover it again. Just doing these two small things did make more space in the room, which felt good.

On Thursday, I got up and did some weights first thing. I thought about going to the gym, but wasn't feeling it. Besides, I've got the weights, dumbells and kettlebells I need to work out at home now. 

After breakfast, OH and I decided to pick most of the cherries on our tree in the garden, so we got the ladders out and picked as many as we could. There was a nice bowlful, which is plenty for me, as I'm the only one who eats them.

I decided to supplement the weights this morning by going for a walk. I was out for about an hour and covered about 4km or 6,000 steps. I have to admit that it was difficult in that I was walking in places that I used to walk with our dog and I found it very upsetting. I might need to try to walk in different locations that aren't so familiar to avoid this in future. I'm sure I'll get less upset as time goes by, but at the moment, it's still very triggering. It was nice to get outside in the sunshine though.

I stopped off at my favourite mulberry tree in the park whilst out on the walk and I ate quite a few mulberries that were ripe. There was so much fruit on the tree, much more than on my mulberry tree at home, but many of them weren't yet ripe.

After lunch, I spent an hour or so pottering about upstairs, putting laundry away, etc., then it was time to get showered and ready for work.

On Friday, we had arranged to go and collect LB and her vast amount of stuff, from her Uni halls in South London. I always enjoy going to bring her home for the summer. It's lovely to have her home for a while. OH and I set off in the car at around 10 am, after the majority of commuting traffic had died down. It felt like a long journey to get there. 

Luckily, LB had packed up most of her stuff already, so OH could straight away put it all in the car. I helped to pack what was left and started cleaning the room, as she was due an inspection with regard to returning her deposit.  By the time we'd finished the room looked better than when she moved in.

LB's stuff had increased over the year, so OH had to drive home alone with the car full to the front seat, and LB and I caught public transport home across London. We got lucky with connections though and weren't far behind OH by the time we got home.

The evening was spent sorting out LB's stuff and getting it put away in her bedroom. We got quite a lot done, but there's still boxes and bags everywhere and a lot more sorting to do. It will all get done eventually.

On Saturday morning I was up early to go to my usual free session at the gym.  OH was doing a tip run with lots of rubbish from the garden and building the shed. It was good to get it all cleared away.

I went to my gym session which was good.  When I got home, I got LB up, as she was accompanying me to the latest Zero Waste event. I had quite a few bags of clothes and other items and a bookcase to take this time. We had a little look around whilst there but didn't see anything we wanted. 

On the way home we dropped into the charity shop to drop off another two bags there. This has now cleared the top landing which makes the house feel a lot less cluttered. I can now start collecting stuff together for the next Zero Waste event. 

The remainder of the day was spent getting packed for our summer holiday. We were flying to the Greek Islands the following day for a much needed break.