This month, things have slowed down dramatically on the saving and earning extra money front. The main reason being that I've decided that using supermarket vouchers doesn't always save money, especially when said vouchers are for use at Waitrose. I end up spending way more on groceries than I would if I shopped at Lidl for them, which is madness.
Instead, I've been trying to do all of my shopping at Lidl for most of the month and not using the vouchers at all. I'm hoping it will help keep me within budget.
So, that said, here's where I have earned or saved extra this month.
1) I sold a few more items on eBay this month. This has earned me £9.64 this month.
Total earned on eBay - £9.64.
2) I got a free bus journey to work the other day, on account of the ticket scanner on the bus not working. This saved me £1.50. Every little bit helps.
Total saved on bus fares - £1.50
The total amount of extra money earned this month is £11.14, which when added to last month's total of £796.17, brings my current total this year to £807.31.
As you can see, I've saved a lot less money this month, partly as a consequence of what's mentioned above and partly due to going on holiday for one week too. I'm not sure how much more money I will be able to earn save this year, but I'm going to continue to plod on and do my best.
Monday, 6 August 2018
Friday, 3 August 2018
Sweating it Out
Another hot day and I have to say that I'm really struggling with the heat. I can't seem to motivate myself to do much at all. Yesterday, on one of my days off, I caught a class at the gym in the morning and then did a top up food shop and from then on I gave up and binge watched the new series of Anne with an E (based on Ann of Green Gables) on Netflix.
I feel super unproductive, but I just can't bring myself to go outside. If I manage the laundry and washing up and load/unload the dishwasher, I feel like I've achieved something big. Is anyone else feeling the same way?
Today, I feel a little more comfortable. I have walked the dog, (keeping to the shady side of the streets), hung some washing out inside and washed the vegetables that OH harvested from the allotment. OH has got out the air conditioner, that we bought last year when the weather turned very hot, but was only used once or twice. It makes the kitchen much more bearable, but I still can't bring myself to venture outside. Even the dog has stayed inside today and is currently sat at my feet underneath the kitchen table.
I have even taken to buying plastic water bottles this year, (please don't judge me), which I never do, and freezing them, so that the defrosting bottle cools me on the way to work and keeps me hydrated with lovely cold water for most of the day, when I remember to drink it, that is. What I should do is try to freeze a reusable plastic bottle and see if that works as well. It would be much more sustainable.
I've also been keeping the freezer stocked with ice lollies to help cool us down. If we had a freezer box at work, I'd do it there too. Instead, we've been fighting over the fans. The one in the office I use always gets taken to the office upstairs (that I don't use), and I'm left with no fan. I took one out of the stockroom on Wednesday and put it in my office, only for someone to take it back into the stockroom again, where there are four others. I wasn't happy. Being a woman of a certain age, having a fan is even more essential for me, but I'm not going to go around telling people that.
As a consequence of the weather, I personally am being very neglectful of the allotment and garden. OH has been over to water and harvest a couple of times since we came back from Portugal, but I haven't set foot over there yet, which is a bit naughty. It's just so exposed, with no shade at all.
We've got a bit of a glut of tomatoes and French beans at the moment. We're slowly working our way through it. There's lots of cut and come again lettuce in the raised beds in the garden too, which we are eating. I'd love to be outside gardening, but I just can't face it.
Having said all of this, I'm very grateful not to be in Portugal right now where temperatures are predicted to rise to over 40 degrees centigrade this week. It's bad enough here at 35 degrees. Will I ever get used to this hot weather? I'm not sure I will, maybe I just need to stop whingeing just get out there and get on with things regardless.
If anyone has any tips regarding how to keep your cool in this weather, I'd be happy to hear them.
I feel super unproductive, but I just can't bring myself to go outside. If I manage the laundry and washing up and load/unload the dishwasher, I feel like I've achieved something big. Is anyone else feeling the same way?
Today, I feel a little more comfortable. I have walked the dog, (keeping to the shady side of the streets), hung some washing out inside and washed the vegetables that OH harvested from the allotment. OH has got out the air conditioner, that we bought last year when the weather turned very hot, but was only used once or twice. It makes the kitchen much more bearable, but I still can't bring myself to venture outside. Even the dog has stayed inside today and is currently sat at my feet underneath the kitchen table.
I have even taken to buying plastic water bottles this year, (please don't judge me), which I never do, and freezing them, so that the defrosting bottle cools me on the way to work and keeps me hydrated with lovely cold water for most of the day, when I remember to drink it, that is. What I should do is try to freeze a reusable plastic bottle and see if that works as well. It would be much more sustainable.
I've also been keeping the freezer stocked with ice lollies to help cool us down. If we had a freezer box at work, I'd do it there too. Instead, we've been fighting over the fans. The one in the office I use always gets taken to the office upstairs (that I don't use), and I'm left with no fan. I took one out of the stockroom on Wednesday and put it in my office, only for someone to take it back into the stockroom again, where there are four others. I wasn't happy. Being a woman of a certain age, having a fan is even more essential for me, but I'm not going to go around telling people that.
As a consequence of the weather, I personally am being very neglectful of the allotment and garden. OH has been over to water and harvest a couple of times since we came back from Portugal, but I haven't set foot over there yet, which is a bit naughty. It's just so exposed, with no shade at all.
We've got a bit of a glut of tomatoes and French beans at the moment. We're slowly working our way through it. There's lots of cut and come again lettuce in the raised beds in the garden too, which we are eating. I'd love to be outside gardening, but I just can't face it.
Having said all of this, I'm very grateful not to be in Portugal right now where temperatures are predicted to rise to over 40 degrees centigrade this week. It's bad enough here at 35 degrees. Will I ever get used to this hot weather? I'm not sure I will, maybe I just need to stop whingeing just get out there and get on with things regardless.
If anyone has any tips regarding how to keep your cool in this weather, I'd be happy to hear them.
Wednesday, 1 August 2018
Monthly Round Up - July
A busy month with work, our holiday, school ending for the summer and visiting family members(although they didn't stay with us). It's not been so bad, budget wise, but I did go over in most categories, mainly due to buying bits and pieces for the holiday.
Here goes with the results:
Food budget - This came in £6.90 under the £400 budget, which considering we were away for a week, isn't too great, but under budget all the same.
Household budget - This went over the £50 budget by £30.68, mainly due to buying sun cream, insect repellent and other toiletries for the holiday, plus the regular stocking up of some toiletry and household items.
Miscellaneous budget - This went over the £50 budget by £34.85 this month, due to a niece's birthday gift and buying a few extras for the holiday.
My Personal budget - This went over the £25 budget by £80.02 because I indulged in a few more t-shirts and tops to wear for work. I have devised myself a uniform for hot summer days, which consists of long black short sleeved t-shirts from H&M and loose fitting harem trousers. It works well in the heat and I wanted to buy enough to get me through the summer. It makes getting dressed for work much quicker and easier. I also had a haircut which cost over £30, but was badly needed.
LB - This £25 budget also went over by £49.93, due to buying her several new pairs of shorts for the holiday/summer holidays and also another £30+ haircut.
Home - I went over the £20 home budget this month by £32, to purchase my sun lounger, plus a couple of other small items for the house and garden.
Travel - This £40 budget came under by £4, mainly due to being on holiday for a week.
All told, I was happy enough, as I cash flowed holiday spending money (even coming back with lots of euros for the next time we go away), LB and I got much needed haircuts, I've now got lots of options to wear for work and I still had some money left over to transfer to one of my savings accounts, which I consider a positive result.
There shouldn't be much required expenditure next month, unless we go away again, as I will be taking another week off in August. We will probably stay in the UK though, so we can take the dog with us. There will be the expenditure of buying a couple of new school skirts for LB and maybe some socks and underwear, but otherwise, I have no spending planned. I'm hoping to put a bit more money aside next month as a consequence, but we'll see what happens.
Here goes with the results:
Food budget - This came in £6.90 under the £400 budget, which considering we were away for a week, isn't too great, but under budget all the same.
Household budget - This went over the £50 budget by £30.68, mainly due to buying sun cream, insect repellent and other toiletries for the holiday, plus the regular stocking up of some toiletry and household items.
Miscellaneous budget - This went over the £50 budget by £34.85 this month, due to a niece's birthday gift and buying a few extras for the holiday.
My Personal budget - This went over the £25 budget by £80.02 because I indulged in a few more t-shirts and tops to wear for work. I have devised myself a uniform for hot summer days, which consists of long black short sleeved t-shirts from H&M and loose fitting harem trousers. It works well in the heat and I wanted to buy enough to get me through the summer. It makes getting dressed for work much quicker and easier. I also had a haircut which cost over £30, but was badly needed.
LB - This £25 budget also went over by £49.93, due to buying her several new pairs of shorts for the holiday/summer holidays and also another £30+ haircut.
Home - I went over the £20 home budget this month by £32, to purchase my sun lounger, plus a couple of other small items for the house and garden.
Travel - This £40 budget came under by £4, mainly due to being on holiday for a week.
All told, I was happy enough, as I cash flowed holiday spending money (even coming back with lots of euros for the next time we go away), LB and I got much needed haircuts, I've now got lots of options to wear for work and I still had some money left over to transfer to one of my savings accounts, which I consider a positive result.
There shouldn't be much required expenditure next month, unless we go away again, as I will be taking another week off in August. We will probably stay in the UK though, so we can take the dog with us. There will be the expenditure of buying a couple of new school skirts for LB and maybe some socks and underwear, but otherwise, I have no spending planned. I'm hoping to put a bit more money aside next month as a consequence, but we'll see what happens.
Tuesday, 31 July 2018
Back Home Again and a Kitchen Preview
We've been back in the UK for a few days now and are settling back into normal life. We had a lovely holiday, very relaxing. A little too relaxing if I'm honest, but I think I needed it. I feel refreshed and ready to get back to work.
Yesterday, was my first day back, and it wasn't too bad. The Manager and volunteers had kept stock levels under control, so it wasn't too overwhelming. I haven't yet officially met the new Deputy, who is sharing the post with me. I should meet him on Wednesday, which will be interesting. I was a bit tired after my first day back, but that's to be expected really. I'm sure I'll build up my stamina for it again pretty quickly.
Today, I'm at home and trying to catch up with my month end finances. The whole house needs a good clean, but I'll get around to it eventually, there's no hurry. I did tackle most of the holiday washing and my ironing mountain after we returned, which has helped. I thought it best to get it out of the way whilst the weather was cooler.
I didn't really spend much money on holiday. I don't really go in for souvenirs of any kind, but I did buy a Portuguese tile coaster on this holiday, to remind me of the beautiful tiles we saw decorating some of the buildings. It nicely matches our renovated kitchen colour scheme too and is so pretty that I couldn't resist it.
Talking of the kitchen, I haven't actually shown you any pictures of our progress. It's not finished yet, as we still need new cupboard doors, a new co-ordinating glass splash back behind the hob and a new fridge freezer and microwave, but I love the colour change and I am enjoying the simplicity it offers, with only everyday essentials out on the worktops. It's been a bit like a Minimalist packing party, I don't want to put some of the things I took out back, as I want to keep it as simple as possible. I'll post more pictures when it is fully completed.
I digress, anyway, I also indulged in buying two large bottles of Aloe Vera gel whilst on holiday, which I always use as an after sun lotion and for other things too at times. I just about had spare weight in my luggage for these. The only other thing I bought was a new sun visor. I've bought these on past holidays and never worn them again, as I didn't like them once I got them home, but this one is very similar in style to an old and much worn favourite, so I think I will use this one. I decluttered two previous holiday purchases as soon as I got home. It's useless hanging onto them when every time I put them on I don't like how I look in them. Hopefully, it will be a case of third time lucky.
Since we've been back, it's been wonderful to have some rain. I really didn't mind taking one for the garden/allotment, when I got drenched on a dog walk on Sunday morning and I positively relished waking up to thunder and rain this morning. Thankfully, the allotment and garden survived not being watered in our absence, but I need to get out and do a bit of harvesting today at some point.
Yesterday, was my first day back, and it wasn't too bad. The Manager and volunteers had kept stock levels under control, so it wasn't too overwhelming. I haven't yet officially met the new Deputy, who is sharing the post with me. I should meet him on Wednesday, which will be interesting. I was a bit tired after my first day back, but that's to be expected really. I'm sure I'll build up my stamina for it again pretty quickly.
Today, I'm at home and trying to catch up with my month end finances. The whole house needs a good clean, but I'll get around to it eventually, there's no hurry. I did tackle most of the holiday washing and my ironing mountain after we returned, which has helped. I thought it best to get it out of the way whilst the weather was cooler.
I didn't really spend much money on holiday. I don't really go in for souvenirs of any kind, but I did buy a Portuguese tile coaster on this holiday, to remind me of the beautiful tiles we saw decorating some of the buildings. It nicely matches our renovated kitchen colour scheme too and is so pretty that I couldn't resist it.
Talking of the kitchen, I haven't actually shown you any pictures of our progress. It's not finished yet, as we still need new cupboard doors, a new co-ordinating glass splash back behind the hob and a new fridge freezer and microwave, but I love the colour change and I am enjoying the simplicity it offers, with only everyday essentials out on the worktops. It's been a bit like a Minimalist packing party, I don't want to put some of the things I took out back, as I want to keep it as simple as possible. I'll post more pictures when it is fully completed.
I digress, anyway, I also indulged in buying two large bottles of Aloe Vera gel whilst on holiday, which I always use as an after sun lotion and for other things too at times. I just about had spare weight in my luggage for these. The only other thing I bought was a new sun visor. I've bought these on past holidays and never worn them again, as I didn't like them once I got them home, but this one is very similar in style to an old and much worn favourite, so I think I will use this one. I decluttered two previous holiday purchases as soon as I got home. It's useless hanging onto them when every time I put them on I don't like how I look in them. Hopefully, it will be a case of third time lucky.
Since we've been back, it's been wonderful to have some rain. I really didn't mind taking one for the garden/allotment, when I got drenched on a dog walk on Sunday morning and I positively relished waking up to thunder and rain this morning. Thankfully, the allotment and garden survived not being watered in our absence, but I need to get out and do a bit of harvesting today at some point.
Friday, 27 July 2018
A Day Out in Porto
On Tuesday, during our week in Northern Portugal, we woke up to a very overcast sky. Thinking that it may hang around for most of the day, we decided to head out and do a bit of sightseeing in the nearest large city, which was Porto.
Porto is Portugal's second largest city after Lisbon, the capital and it's airport was where we flew into the country. It was only an hour away and as we approached the city we were pleased to see that the sky was blue and the sun was shining. It had been a good decision.
We started off our visit by stopping off at the Casa de Musica, a wonderful concert hall designed by Dutch architects Rem Koolhaaus/OMA. We didn't go on the tour of the building, but did have a little look around what we could and stopped for a drink and a snack in the lovely café. (I had a wholemeal croissant, the first I've ever had and it was surprisingly good. If they had these in the UK, I would definitely buy them, despite the calorific value.)
This very contemporary building was a stark contrast to some of the more historic sights of Porto. I particularly liked the buildings embellished with tiles.
There were also some interested artworks embellishing some of the buildings.
Cat lovers will love this particular one and bunny lovers might like the one below, which interestingly, was three dimensional and made from all kinds of junk.
Porto is Portugal's second largest city after Lisbon, the capital and it's airport was where we flew into the country. It was only an hour away and as we approached the city we were pleased to see that the sky was blue and the sun was shining. It had been a good decision.
We started off our visit by stopping off at the Casa de Musica, a wonderful concert hall designed by Dutch architects Rem Koolhaaus/OMA. We didn't go on the tour of the building, but did have a little look around what we could and stopped for a drink and a snack in the lovely café. (I had a wholemeal croissant, the first I've ever had and it was surprisingly good. If they had these in the UK, I would definitely buy them, despite the calorific value.)
This very contemporary building was a stark contrast to some of the more historic sights of Porto. I particularly liked the buildings embellished with tiles.
Cat lovers will love this particular one and bunny lovers might like the one below, which interestingly, was three dimensional and made from all kinds of junk.
I also liked this art work made entirely of old tyres. A great idea for recycling them.
Aside from being famous for the production of Port, the city is also know for it's six bridges, three of which you could see from the one we were standing on in this photo.
The above is the fourth bridge we saw, which we walked across twice, one way on the higher level and back along the lower level. We took the cable car from the top of the bridge down to the riverside, where there were lots of restaurants and market stalls.
Either side of the river the town climbs up and this results in lots of small, cobbled streets to climb.
Not for the feint hearted or those with mobility problems, but there are trams and tut tuts to hire to get around too.
It's a beautiful and very interesting city to visit. I'd highly recommend it to anyone.
Thursday, 26 July 2018
A Lovely Restful Holiday
As I write this post, we are happily ensconced in our rented Portuguese country house (not a villa) and are enjoying the very beautiful surroundings. Nestled into a hillside, on the edge of a village, and on the outskirts of a small town, we have a lovely secluded mature garden, with clementine and lemon trees and a gorgeous swimming pool to dip in and out of and apart from Tuesday, when we woke up to a very overcast sky, we have had lovely sunshine throughout.
Here's a picture of the view from the kitchen window. Bliss.
Do people really own homes like this? The answer is yes. Lucky them. Check out the pantry - love it. I don't want to post too many pictures, as it isn't our house, but hopefully you'll get an idea.
After arriving early afternoon on Saturday, picking up the car and finding our accommodation and being given a tour of it by the agent, we later headed out to the nearest local town for food supplies, followed by a BBQ supper.
Our first full day here on Sunday was spent basking by the pool, getting used to our surroundings and then in the evening we headed out to dinner in the historic coastal town of Vigo, over the border in Spain. It was an interesting place to visit, but slightly further to travel than we expected, so we vowed to stay closer to home in Northern Portugal for the remainder of the holiday.
In spite of having a good WiFi connection here, I had a complete break from the internet for the first two or three days. I didn't miss it at all. I threw myself into reading, relaxing and doing a jigsaw, which never fails to help clear my mind of all thoughts of work. Here's the one I brought with me this holiday and completed within 24-48 hours of arriving. I may do it again, but then again I may not.
The house we are staying in is beautiful. It's quite large and the three of us are rattling around in it a little. It feels like a priviledge to stay here, although we are paying for it. All of our needs are more than met and it is a very comfortable and enjoyable space to live for the week. It feels like our own small private holiday resort. We couldn't ask for more.
The only slight problems we've faced have been how to use the washing machine, the gardeners turning up on Tuesday morning at 8am to mow the grass and the fact that the pool turned green on us the same day, whilst we were spending a lovely day in Porto, Portugal's second largest city after the capital Lisbon. (More in another post).
However, the agent came straight over and assured us that one of the chemicals had got low and that now that it has been replaced all should be well. A pool technician then also came to check out what the problem was and we couldn't use the pool for five hours, on account of the chemicals they put into it.
We didn't get too stressed over it, however, as it's just one of those things. Worse things happen. We've made up for it since and it has made us appreciate the pool even more, to have had the restriction of not using it. What is there to fret about really?
Anyway, tomorrow is our last day here, sadly, and we'll be heading home very early on Saturday morning. We've had a very restful time, just what we needed and I have loved the peace and quiet. A perfect contrast to our normal, noisy and busy life in London. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go back to it just yet, but there you go.
I hope you've had a good week, although I know it's been very hot in the UK whilst we've been here. I have to admit that I'm not looking forward to coming back to such high temperatures.
Here's a picture of the view from the kitchen window. Bliss.
Do people really own homes like this? The answer is yes. Lucky them. Check out the pantry - love it. I don't want to post too many pictures, as it isn't our house, but hopefully you'll get an idea.
After arriving early afternoon on Saturday, picking up the car and finding our accommodation and being given a tour of it by the agent, we later headed out to the nearest local town for food supplies, followed by a BBQ supper.
Our first full day here on Sunday was spent basking by the pool, getting used to our surroundings and then in the evening we headed out to dinner in the historic coastal town of Vigo, over the border in Spain. It was an interesting place to visit, but slightly further to travel than we expected, so we vowed to stay closer to home in Northern Portugal for the remainder of the holiday.
In spite of having a good WiFi connection here, I had a complete break from the internet for the first two or three days. I didn't miss it at all. I threw myself into reading, relaxing and doing a jigsaw, which never fails to help clear my mind of all thoughts of work. Here's the one I brought with me this holiday and completed within 24-48 hours of arriving. I may do it again, but then again I may not.
The house we are staying in is beautiful. It's quite large and the three of us are rattling around in it a little. It feels like a priviledge to stay here, although we are paying for it. All of our needs are more than met and it is a very comfortable and enjoyable space to live for the week. It feels like our own small private holiday resort. We couldn't ask for more.
The only slight problems we've faced have been how to use the washing machine, the gardeners turning up on Tuesday morning at 8am to mow the grass and the fact that the pool turned green on us the same day, whilst we were spending a lovely day in Porto, Portugal's second largest city after the capital Lisbon. (More in another post).
However, the agent came straight over and assured us that one of the chemicals had got low and that now that it has been replaced all should be well. A pool technician then also came to check out what the problem was and we couldn't use the pool for five hours, on account of the chemicals they put into it.
We didn't get too stressed over it, however, as it's just one of those things. Worse things happen. We've made up for it since and it has made us appreciate the pool even more, to have had the restriction of not using it. What is there to fret about really?
Anyway, tomorrow is our last day here, sadly, and we'll be heading home very early on Saturday morning. We've had a very restful time, just what we needed and I have loved the peace and quiet. A perfect contrast to our normal, noisy and busy life in London. I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go back to it just yet, but there you go.
I hope you've had a good week, although I know it's been very hot in the UK whilst we've been here. I have to admit that I'm not looking forward to coming back to such high temperatures.
Friday, 20 July 2018
Last Minute Pre-Holiday Preparation
Yesterday, was the last day I had available to prepare for our forthcoming holiday. I worked Monday and Tuesday this week, and had Wednesday and Thursday as my days off. I worked today, and we're travelling early on Saturday morning, so I had to make sure that everything was virtually packed and ready to go by the time I left for work this morning. This included packing the things that the dog would need at the dog sitters, as unfortunately, she can't come with us on this holiday.
On Wednesday, I did some last minute holiday shopping. OH needed some shorts and I needed to pick up a few holiday toiletries. I had already done a little bit of packing at the weekend, but I needed to sort out which things, in the mountainous pile that makes up my ironing basket, actually needed ironing, so that we could take them with us. No one wants to iron in this heat, but some things did need it.
We are taking one large suitcase to be checked in and two small carry on suitcases, mainly due to the fact that we are flying with EasyJet and they don't allow more than one piece of hand luggage. As a consequence I'm just taking a rucksack on the plane and the rest of my stuff is going in the hold.
This does, of course, mean that it's too easy to take too much, and in spite of having been through my suitcase twice, I haven't removed very much from it. I bought some packing cubes from Lidl a few weeks ago and I've rearranged the contents using them. They do seem to take up less space, I have to admit.
I've chosen a few books to take with us and we've got a few DVD's to take too and watch whilst we're away. I've even packed a jigsaw to do. Whoa there!! It's just getting too exciting for words. I may leave it behind when we've done it, as I rarely do one twice. I just needed to pick up some currency today, pack the rest of my toiletries tomorrow morning and I think I'm set.
We'll be staying in a private villa with a pool this holiday. It will be our main holiday and we just wanted the accommodation to be good quality and have private facilities, unlike last year, when we discovered the owners were living on site too. As a consequence, we have paid a premium, but I'm hoping it will be worth it to get the holiday we want - i.e. away from it all and relaxing. I can't wait to get the inflatables out and just chill in and around the pool.
I have been feeling quite excited with just two days to go and found it quite hard to knuckle down to finish off the last minute tasks that I needed to do. OH always seems able to just throw a few things in a suitcase and go, but for me I end up having to close down the house, clear out the fridge and think about the dog, the allotment, etc. and the food we've got to come back to. It seems never ending. I need a holiday by the time I've finished.
LB finished school for the summer today. I'm looking forward to having her around at home when I'm not at work, although I know she'll be out with her friends much of the time. I hope we'll get to spend some time together.
I may do a couple of posts while I'm away, as at least I will have the time, and I will be reading all my favourite blogs, so expect comments and views from the poolside!! Have a good week.
On Wednesday, I did some last minute holiday shopping. OH needed some shorts and I needed to pick up a few holiday toiletries. I had already done a little bit of packing at the weekend, but I needed to sort out which things, in the mountainous pile that makes up my ironing basket, actually needed ironing, so that we could take them with us. No one wants to iron in this heat, but some things did need it.
We are taking one large suitcase to be checked in and two small carry on suitcases, mainly due to the fact that we are flying with EasyJet and they don't allow more than one piece of hand luggage. As a consequence I'm just taking a rucksack on the plane and the rest of my stuff is going in the hold.
This does, of course, mean that it's too easy to take too much, and in spite of having been through my suitcase twice, I haven't removed very much from it. I bought some packing cubes from Lidl a few weeks ago and I've rearranged the contents using them. They do seem to take up less space, I have to admit.
I've chosen a few books to take with us and we've got a few DVD's to take too and watch whilst we're away. I've even packed a jigsaw to do. Whoa there!! It's just getting too exciting for words. I may leave it behind when we've done it, as I rarely do one twice. I just needed to pick up some currency today, pack the rest of my toiletries tomorrow morning and I think I'm set.
We'll be staying in a private villa with a pool this holiday. It will be our main holiday and we just wanted the accommodation to be good quality and have private facilities, unlike last year, when we discovered the owners were living on site too. As a consequence, we have paid a premium, but I'm hoping it will be worth it to get the holiday we want - i.e. away from it all and relaxing. I can't wait to get the inflatables out and just chill in and around the pool.
I have been feeling quite excited with just two days to go and found it quite hard to knuckle down to finish off the last minute tasks that I needed to do. OH always seems able to just throw a few things in a suitcase and go, but for me I end up having to close down the house, clear out the fridge and think about the dog, the allotment, etc. and the food we've got to come back to. It seems never ending. I need a holiday by the time I've finished.
LB finished school for the summer today. I'm looking forward to having her around at home when I'm not at work, although I know she'll be out with her friends much of the time. I hope we'll get to spend some time together.
I may do a couple of posts while I'm away, as at least I will have the time, and I will be reading all my favourite blogs, so expect comments and views from the poolside!! Have a good week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)