I visited the charity shop again, tried lots of things on, didn't like any of them and came out with one sewing pattern for a blouse for £1, which was a bargain.
On Tuesday, I got up after virtually getting no sleep at all. I don't know why, but I tossed and turned all night and certain things popped into my head that had been long forgotten. Very strange. I think we're possibly coming up to a full moon, which can sometimes have a strange effect. I was still awake when OH headed out to go cycling at 5 am. It's horrible not getting any sleep. I really didn't want to get up and go to Zumba, but I managed to drag myself there and felt better for it.
After lunch, I did a bit of financial reckoning for the end of the month and paid my credit card bill online. It's hard to believe we're now heading into August. It's only two months now until I should start to get some pension payments and I need to start the ball rolling on claiming them.
Once I'd finished with the financials, I put away some laundry and then went to bed for a couple of hours to catch up on missed sleep. It was much needed. When I woke up, I then read for a while and later watched the remaining episodes of the new series of Bergerac, before watching this week's Sewing Bee.
Wednesday, was due to be the hottest day of the week, with temperatures reaching the mid 30's. I didn't need to go anywhere or do anything in particular, so I got up in a leisurely manner, had a shower and dressed in comfy cool clothing. I'm getting used to spending my life indoors during heatwaves, but I can't say I like it too much. I'd love to go out for a walk, but I don't want to end up a sweaty mess. The low 20's are my ideal temperature and I look forward to when the temperatures drop to this level, if they ever do.
I started the day doing a bit of laundry and then decided to try to check a couple of pensions that I have, one of which is due to start paying out later this year when I reach the age of 60. I had to register on an online portal to check the value of it and find out how to set things in motion. I thought that this would be straightforward enough. After a few issues with the password I set up, I finally got in, but I couldn't get access to a statement and so instead I had to request a retirement quote, which I'm now awaiting. Not sure how long that will take, but at least I've set the ball rolling. I also checked a couple of small pensions which were doing okay, so at least I now know the balances or am in the process of getting the figures for all of my pensions.
Later, after lunch, I figured that I may as well make the most of being confined to the house due to the heat, by continuing to get my finances in order. To do so, I went through all of my financial paperwork and pulled out anything that could be shredded. I started this process a few months ago, focusing on bank statements, but this time I decided to focus on credit card statements and other redundant paperwork that just needs to go. I now have everything streamlined and a massive pile of shredding to do, which I'll slowly work my way through a bit at a time. It took all afternoon to do this job, but it felt good to get it done, as it's been on my to do list for a good few months.
In the evening, OH went out cycling with his buddies. They were staying out overnight, camping in a local forest. Rather him than me, I must admit.
On Thursday, I got up and headed out to my class at the gym, which was good. The teacher told us that she is teaching a couple of new classes for the next few weeks on a Friday morning, to test them out. I'm going to try one this week, which will be body conditioning with weights. I'm hoping I'll enjoy it.
After lunch, I did a bit of shredding of some of the documents I sorted and then I sat in the shade in our garden for a while. I rarely sit out in hot weather, but it was a bit cooler today. We're lucky that our trees provide plenty of shade. I decided to pot on a banana plant, whose pot was broken and I also potted on some sunflowers into a big pot to give them room to grow. That was it for my productivity today I'm afraid, as I then went off for a nap.
Friday wasn't much more productive. I tried out a new class at the gym, which was body conditioning with weights. It was quite good, but I don't know if I'll go back, as I had to pay extra for it and I don't want to spend more, on top of my current monthly gym membership at the moment.
I spent the afternoon watching Clarkson's Farm. I'd not watched it before and although I'm not really a Clarkson fan, it was quite interesting. I'll probably continue to watch all of the 5 seasons that are available.
On Saturday morning, I got up in a leisurely fashion. OH was out cycling and LB was working. I went down to the Post Office to catch the last post for the weekend and then stopped in at the allotment to water and harvest. There was very little to harvest this time, things are slowing down. It's mainly tomatoes, lettuce and raspberries at the moment, although there is still more of a few other things growing.
I had another nap in the afternoon and watched more of Clarkson's Farm, followed by a film I found to watch. OH made us a vegetable curry for supper which was nice.
On Sunday, OH wasn't cycling, so he agreed to come out with me to a Car Boot Sale near Chelmsford, Essex. We went to a different one to the one we'd been to a few months ago. It was on a big field alongside the A12. There were lots of stalls, but not so many buyers. This was significant, as I was doing a reckie for when LB and I do a car boot and it's between this one and one that is held on a Park and Ride car park a short distance away. On the field there is lots of room to spread out and it's pretty chilled, but the one on the car park seems to have more footfall. The jury is still out.
Anyway, I didn't buy a lot. I bought a couple of camping chairs for LB and I to use for the Car Boot, which I'll probably sell once we've used them. These were both £5 each. I was going to buy some on eBay for £10 each, so it saved me a little money.
I also bought a few items of clothing for me; a pair of loose 100% cotton trousers, a 100% linen top and a sweater, which in total cost £4. I spent another £2.50 on another couple of bits, but that was all. I didn't want to bring home lots of stuff, not when I'm trying to declutter.
After the car boot, OH took me to a pub he knew of for lunch, which was nice, before returning home. It was nice to get out of London for the morning. I didn't do a lot for the rest of the day. Days are incredibly chilled at the moment, which I'm very happy for. Although it's cooled down a little, it's still quite hot and I'm just not interested in rushing around in the heat.
I hope you had a good week.
