Four Days for the Price of One - Day 830 - Day 833

I'm not sure where the time has gone this week but it has been difficult to find the time to write these blog posts so in the end I am writing up four days in one go...

Day 830...Monday

So the day started, as is our new normal, with an early morning walk; however we only managed 1.3 miles in 23 minutes as rain stopped play. We'd not got our waterproofs with us so we made the sensible decision to head for home when the precipitation started!

Our morning was then taken up with what we referred to as 'Kondoing the wardrobes'. When we revamped our bedroom the other year we adopted the Marie Kondo approach to tidying and we have adopted it ever since. It is a great way to ensure that you only hold onto those items that you genuinely need or love. Since it had been a while since our new wardrobes had been fitted it was time to re-evaluate the storage and assess whether it was working and whether we were actually making use of its contents. We did pretty well and only filled two bags with clothes for our local charity clothes bank.

So after a spot of lunch we hopped in the car and dropped off the clothes, stopped by my dads house to drop off a couple of bits and then had a quick tour around our local Lidl.

Back home and after a coffee and a quiet hour we decided that the weather was more conducive to walking and headed out completing 2.3 miles in 47 minutes.

Day 831...Tuesday

The weather played nice this morning and so our usual morning walk of 1.9 miles in 38 minutes was much enjoyed although at the top of the hill it did feeler a little cooler than of late with a strong wind that I described as bracing.

Then my day took on the theme for much of this week...gardening. Now I am not a gardener at all, my mum used to love gardening however I have not inherited that love, but my task this week was my dads garden. As we are about to sell the house both the front and back gardens were in need of a lot of taming if we wanted to make them look presentable. The morning was focused on the front garden and by lunchtime I'd done a pretty decent job and the whole plot looked a lot smarter.

I came home for some lunch with Simon before heading back to my dads to start on the back garden...a much bigger garden and a much bigger task ahead. It was heavily overgrown and full of weeds and other bits that shouldn't have been there.

By the end of the afternoon progress had been made, although I'd literally just scratched the surface.

I could just start to feel my muscles beginning to ache but that didn't stop me squeezing in a weights workout to round out the day!

Day 832...Wednesday

Thankfully the weather was much better this morning than had been forecast yesterday which meant we could take our usual 1.9 mile walk in a steady 38 minutes, despite my achy body. Why does gardening have such an impact on the body, no wonder it's not my favourite pastime!

So we had a repeat of yesterday today with a morning and afternoon spent at my dad's house gardening. It did rain a little mid way through the afternoon but I was able to occupy myself with other little jobs inside the house. The focus of this week is to get the house looking presentable for estate agent photos next week, so lots of moving things around and storing them out of site.

After a shower and a coffee we decided to head out for another walk in lieu of our usual exercise session. Simon is a little restricted as to what he can do with his arm in cast so walking is proving to be a great alternative; we took a different route to normal in an attempt to find a less hilly route. It was a little less hilly but there's just no way to avoid an incline or two where we are; but another walk of just over 2 miles in 44 minutes was achieved.

I was very glad to finally stop, put my feet up and watch this weeks episode of Ms Marvel.

Day 833...Thursday

And despite my achy muscles we started the day with our usual 1.9 mile walk in 37 minutes.

I was then straight out the door to my dads house to carry on with the gardening although today I had a little company as I was joined by my brother and nephew and by the time I left at lunchtime the back garden was looking pretty good and a whole lot better than when I'd started on Tuesday!

So for the first time in a few days I was able to spend the afternoon at home, although there was no rest for me!

Lunch and a shower out the way it was time to get some research done ahead of podcast recording later in the afternoon. We were talking about the upcoming Epcot Food & Wine festival as all the details of the various food booths have just been released. And as my podcast co-host, Michelle, will be visiting during the festival I had the task of picking some tasty treats for her to try!

We had the most efficient podcast recording session ever as in under an hour we'd not only recorded a show to be released this weekend but also a show for our Patreon supporters. But we had good reason to be efficient as at 5pm UK time tickets for next years Star Wars Celebration in London went on sale and I needed to be poised and ready.

Just before 5pm I clicked on the buy tickets option and found myself on a queue holding page, as 5pm ticked over I was put into the queue and told I had over an hour to wait! Well I was convinced at that point that any chance of getting tickets was looking doubtful, but as I sat and watched the screen the wait time went down surprisingly quickly. Within 20 minutes I was choosing my tickets; the most expensive Jedi Master tickets were all sold out which was fine as we didn't want those as we were after the 4-day tickets and the four day tickets is what we got! A much more cost effective buy than the individual tickets and so by 5.29pm I had our confirmation that we are going to Celebration next April!!

But by 6pm I was starting to see a lot of disappointed fans who'd not been able to secure the 4-day ticket and could only buy the more expensive single day options. It certainly isn't a cheap hobby being a Star Wars fan and I feel exceptionally lucky that we've been able to secure (and been able to afford) the tickets and a hotel. London 2023 here we come!

Phew - the end of Thursday and hopefully a slightly quieter and less garden focused day ahead tomorrow.

See you all then...hopefully!
xx

Day 828 & Day 829 - Another Weekend

Day 828...Saturday

We started the day with another morning walk, a slightly longer route today of 2.5 miles in 46 minutes.

After breakfast we rallied the troops - okay me, Simon and Ethan - and headed off to my dads house to get a little more sorting done. Now we have a date for the estate agent taking photos along with another date for an auctioneer to visit we need to get organised.

We moved all of the items from the attic room downstairs so that the room is now clear and the items we moved are going to be so much easier to go through. As Simon has one wrist out of action I needed Ethan to help out and be my secong good pair of hands!

In about an hour and a half we had gotten everything moved to where I wanted it to be; I will now be able to re-organise, decided what needs to go where and get the house looking all spick and span. As a reward for a job well done we ventured home by way of Starbucks to get much needed coffees all round.

With a pit stop at home Simon and I jumped back in the car and went back to my dads house as we had noticed a curtain rail was hanging off the wall and needed to be put back into place. Despite Simon's wrist he was able to drill a new hole and rehang the rail with relative ease.

The remainder of the day was then taken up with technical stuff. Both mine and Simon's phones were full to bursting with photos and videos and so it was time to get them off and backed-up. Not a very stimulating job but a much needed one, plus this way we have copies that we know are safe and stored in a chronological order.

And to round out our Saturday it was RuPauls Drag Race All Stars!

Day 829...Sunday

A slightly steadier start to the day but once up we headed out for our morning walk of 2.2 miles in 43 minutes.

Next on the agenda was a visit to my dads house to get on with a bit more tidying. I managed to get one room completely clear, store items out of sight, re-organise stuff and bag up yet more towels, sheets and even curtains. I filled the refuse bin and brought stuff home to fill up a refuse bin here (we have a neighbour on holiday so are taking advantage of their empty bin!). Just over two hours later we headed home. It was enough time to make an impact without getting completely burnt out by it all, I think slow and steady will win the race.

So it did mean that the first meal of our day wasn't until about 2pm! So that equates to a fast of around 19 hours!

Because the weather was lovely, if a little windy, we decided to make the most of it and head out for another walk this time managing 3.6 miles in an hour and six minutes.

The remainder of the day was rather chilled out and just saw us catching up on a few odd jobs.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 826 & Day 827

Day 826...Thursday

And another early morning walk to start the day in the glorious sunshine and clear blue skies. Two miles completed in 38 minutes.

And while Simon started his working day I nipped down the road to our local Lidl to stock up on some fresh bits and pieces. Having got all that I needed and everything put away I thought I would take a few minutes with a coffee to sit outside and read a book. I think I lasted five minutes before I gave it up as a bad job; neighbours were all out and about chit chatting away and then the electric saw started...mood killed!

Typically though within a few minutes of retreating indoors to start a different task it all went quiet! Most of my day was spent online chasing a few things as well as re-organising a stack of paperwork. I am moving things from one place to another and using that as an excuse to go through and get rid of all the old stuff. And clearly I don't do that often enough going by the dates on some of the things I came across!

But I also did get a little reading time in as well throughout the day.

Late afternoon I popped to my dad's house to meet up with my brother. He had a friend stop by who manages a charity shop and she was able to take away a good amount of stuff that neither of us want or need and will now go and be of use to someone else.

I was there a little longer than expected and didn't get back home till late, hence why no published blog post!

Day 827...Friday

And we started with another walk over the fields and although it was rather grey and a tad cooler we still managed 1.9 miles in 38 minutes.

I'd had a rubbish nights sleep last night as my brain kept drifting off to all the stuff that we need to get done at my dads house; more stuff to sort, garden to weed and tidy, whole house needs a clean to make it presentable for estate agent photos and then figure out what items I can Ebay or take to an auction house. And having to co-ordinate all of that with my brother and never mind that Simon is unable to help with his broken wrist!

Consequently my morning was spent looking at the three estate agents who have valued the house and putting together a list of pros and cons so that my brother and I could make a decision as to which one we felt happiest using.

Yesterday had also been the day for the inquest into my dads death. We had decided not to attend either in person or virtually. I think both my brother and I had been satisfied with the report received from the coroner and didn't feel hearing it spoken out loud would make much difference. This morning I received a phone call from the registrar's office wanting to double check details so that they could issue the official death certificate. So although I have not received any official word around the inquest this at least tells me that a judgement was made and that the case is now closed. Finally we can begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel and be in a position to get some closure.

By the end of the afternoon my brother and I were in agreement as to which estate agent to use (Ewemove won out for their personalised approach so fingers crossed we've made the right decision!) and we now have a date in the diary for having photos taken of the house. This does mean that we have a focus over the next week to get things tidy, presentable and the garden tamed!

Over the course of the day I managed to find a little time for reading some more of my current book; I am trying to find time to indulge in the things that previously I would not have been able to, after all that's what this retirement malarkey is supposed to be all about! I also made more progress on sorting out my filing system!! And more old paperwork headed the way of the shredder.

I was able to have a lovely conversation with my good friend, and podcast co-host, Michelle as she made her way home from work. It was great to keep her company while we chatted about life and our plans for recording a couple of podcast shows next week.

And that was pretty much my day today.

See you again...hopefully tomorrow if I find the time to post!
xx

Day 823, 824 & 825 - a trio of days

So not sure why at the moment but I seem to be struggling to get daily blog posts completed. It may be that this has turned into a much longer venture than could have been predicted and as such it has become more routine and basic. My posts have become more diary like and I've not afforded myself the time to expand on my thoughts and opinions. Perhaps a change is needed but until I figure out what that may well be I will continue to 'keep my diary'.

Day 823...Monday

Monday started with our usual early morning walk with 2.4 miles in the bag in 45 minutes. Although we did have to navigate our way around a fallen tree that was blocking a bridlepath, thankfully we were able to duck under the branches to get around it. Once home we were straight back out the door to collect the grocery shopping from Asda.

With the shopping packed away and knowing that the weather forecast for the next few days was looking pretty good I decided to get the weedkiller out. And that is the extent of my gardening...I don't mind pulling up the odd weed but the nasty spikey, stingy ones I won't go near, so out with the weedkiller it was.

After our late brekkie/lunch/brunch...whatever we are calling it...we decided to take advantage of the glorious weather and have another walk. This time we headed over the countryside to The Cowshed, a local cafe, for a coffee and a 2.5 mile walk in 52 minutes. And for our return journey we took a slightly longer route home of 3.9 miles in an hour and 11 minutes, suffice to say we 'got our steps in'!!

It was a lovely and very picturesque walk both there and back and on the way home we even spotted a deer in a field that was stood watching us, it then turned and leaped its way through the field full of corn.

Day 824...Tuesday

Once more we had an early morning walk in the sunshine, a slightly shorter, but still hilly, 1.9 miles in 38 minutes.

Simon was back at work today and my day was caught up with lots of bits and pieces. I had house insurance to sort for my dads house as we needed to find an insurer that would cover the house being empty. I had a few emails to write and to respond to as well as contacting a couple of auction houses about the contents of my dads house. Thankfully, because I had catalogued most of what there is along with photographs, I was able to send the information over by email to gauge the best approach.

Later on in the afternoon I met with another estate agent to look at my dads house with a view to putting it on the market. Now my brother and I need to decided which agent to go with and at what point will we be in a position to put the house on the market.

Despite the heat the day was rounded out with a workout. I did my usual bodyweight exercises before venturing out into our gym to move a few weights around. It was very warm and with not much air so I ended up using the space outside our gym (our garage) instead...although it was not much better!

Day 825...Wednesday

Well as per the normal we were up and out for our walk of 1.9 miles in another 38 minutes.

The morning was spent waiting for a heating and boiler engineer to arrive as over the last few days we have been experiencing a fair bit of water hammer, with the pipes rattling whenever the hot water was being used. Late morning and Charlie our engineer arrived; after a lot testing the system and trying to pin point where exactly the rattle was happening he found the culprit and has hopefully resolved the problem for us.

Early afternoon I made a visit to pre-school to have an update with the manager. As chairperson I now have the mantle of 'overseeing' the happenings as well as keeping in touch to ensure that no problems are encountered. But it was all positive which was great to hear and it was lovely to just pop in for a short while and see everyone.

Back home and I had a couple of emails to write as a direct result of my pre-school visit and before I knew it it was time for Simon and I to jump online to have a chat with our doctor as we'd both had some general blood tests done and we were catching up to discuss. All was good and we are both pleased with our general health, and happy to know that our lifestyle choices are conducive to good health.

And then it was the final Obi-Wan Kenobi...a great little series and I even had a little tear towards the end. It will be interesting to see whether they make a second series and if they do the angle that they will take with it. But if it's an excuse to see more Ewan McGregor then I'll be happy! 

Well three days done...best sign off and I'll see you next time.
xx

Day 821 & Day 822 - The Weekend

Day 821...Saturday

It was a relatively early start for a Saturday morning but there was no walk to be had as I was playing taxi driver for the men of the family as they had appointments at the barbers.

Back home and we had a mid-morning breakfast which was slightly earlier than of late for Simon and I. Next on the agenda was to order a new paper shredder as I have a lot of mine and my dads paperwork to go through, sort and re-organise and I know there will be a lot to get rid of. I also had to order some suspension files for the new filing cabinet that I've yet to use. I had ordered some files when we'd bought the cabinet a couple of months ago but unfortunately I'd ordered the wrong size which I didn't discover until this morning - oops!

Simon and I then headed out for a coffee; it was a grey and drizzly day and not overly conducive to going out and about, so we opted to stay dry and hydrated! We stopped by a DIY store on the way home as we wanted to check out some options for putting extra shelves in the new cupboards in our study/craft room.

The day was brought to a close by watching this weeks episode of RuPauls Drag Race All Stars season 7.

Day 822...Sunday...Father's Day

The day started with the giving of gifts from the 'kids' to Simon; Spiderman No Way Home on BluRay, some Deliciously Guilt Free goodies and an on-trend black bracelet.

With just a coffee to fuel us we headed into Nottingham for the day. We needed to exchange a shirt that Simon had bought last weekend as the sleeves were too tight and we also popped into Primark to pick up another pair of jeans for Simon as the ones he'd bought last week were so good he thought he'd get an extra pair. 

We then headed for a coffee before our main reason for visiting Nottingham; to attend Dr Sketchy's. This is a regular life drawing event that makes use of burlesque performers as their models. Hosted by the lovely Scarlett Daggers it is always a great way to pass a few hours on a Sunday afternoon. Although, today we decided that after the first half of the event we'd had enough and decided to head home. Simon was battling with his left hand being a little sore and simply wasn't enjoying the event as much as normal so having enjoyed what we'd done we called it a day and went home.

By the time we arrived home we were feeling a little peckish and so broke our 'fast' with some scrambled egg. This is the longest we have fasted for so far, managing about 21 hours.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Simon doing some of his own personal digital art while I caught up with the online grocery shopping. My brother popped by as we had some paperwork from the solicitors that needed signing so that we can finally get my dad's estate sorted. It is taking them so long and we are beginning to think it would have been quicker if we'd done it all our selves. But we can't change that now we just have to go with the process and hope that the end is in sight.

And that was my weekend...see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 819 & Day 820

I thought I would join another couple of days together...

Day 819...Thursday

The day started with our early morning walk and we stuck to the same hilly route as has become the norm and we completed 2.3 miles in 46 mins.

With the day underway I spent the majority of the morning at my dads house as we had an estate agent visiting to value the property. We have one more agent valuing the property next week but I have to say I was very impressed with Ewemove, especially as their valuation was more to my liking! But I was more impressed with their approach and their customer service focus. Next weeks agent will have to do a lot to impress me!

I took the time while at my dads to go through some more stuff! We have lots still to go through and as I have said before it is a matter of deciding what we want to keep, what can be donated to charity and what needs to be sold on to find a home where they will be appreciated. Today I went through all my mum's Christmas decorations to see if there was anything that would work with my decorations or anything that I wanted to keep for sentimental reasons. I was hoping to find some old baubles from way back but I couldn't find any at all so I can only assume that over the years my mum had gradually thrown them away or, as most of them would have been glass, they had simply broken.

I did discover an interesting collection of very old records although I don't think Max Bygraves and Val Doonican are my 'cup of tea', in fact I think these probably belonged to my grandma and grandad!

I made sure I was back home by lunchtime as this is when Simon and I now have the first meal of our day and I have to say I am loving this way of starting the day and not eating till later. Plus I still get to have my favourite meal; 'breakfast' - sausage, bacon and mushrooms followed by what we call a sweet omelette (eggs, cream, cinnamon, cloves and a little dark (74%) chocolate!!) with a few raspberries on the side.

I then inadvertently hoovered the garage...I'd gone into the garage to get some weedkiller out and to put the car back but in doing so I'd had to move a ladder which meant I saw all the cobwebs gathering around our gym equipment. And that became my motivating factor to get everywhere hoovered...I lost count of the number of spiders I managed to suck up!

As the weather forecast for Friday was looking rather toasty I decided that I really ought to get the pile of ironing sorted in the slightly cooler weather of today. It was still a hot day today but not to the extreme that the weather was forecast for tomorrow.

With the ironing done I did manage a short while outside in the sunshine with a coffee although it didn't last long as I was beginning to melt. I then managed some online research as I am still trying to figure out what some of the bits and pieces are that we have at my dads; not necessarily the value of the items but more the history and description of them to discover what they actually are.

In lieu of our usual Thursday gym workout as this has been curtailed because of Simon's broken wrist we decided to go for a walk instead. We completed the same walk as this morning although it took us a couple of minutes longer which I think was due to the heat.

Day 820...Friday

Well the weather forecast was correct for a change and we have had another, very hot and sticky day today. In fact as we headed out for our morning walk I did remark to Simon it was like being on holiday as it's not very often here in the UK it's suitable to be out in short, shorts and a sleeveless top at 8.00am! 

It was a glorious morning and we were rather glad that the walk was rather hilly as it meant there was a lovely refreshing breeze the higher we got. Another 2.3 miles in 47 minutes done.

It was then time to head down to my local Lidl for some fresh items. I'd hoped that I could have avoided a shop until next week but the fridge had other ideas. Although I must remember not to shop on a Friday as it would appear that a lot of our older generation still stick to Friday as grocery shopping day!

My day has then been filled with trying to keep cool as we hit temperatures of 31C along with more internet research. It's a slow and painful job but I do feel like I'm making progress and I think that once we have a valuation for the house that we are happy with it will be a motivating factor to make decisions about what we 'do' with everything.

I had hoped to be recording a podcast later this afternoon with my co-host Michelle but we decided it was simply too hot and have decided to leave recording till next week.

Simon and I had hoped to go out for another evening walk today but it was simply too hot, instead we opted for dinner and feet up. 

And there we have the end of the week, let's see what tomorrow shall bring.
xx

Day 818

Day 818...

Well today started a little different to normal as I headed into pre-school for the second day running!

Last night I'd nipped out and bought the team some treats to say well done at getting through the Ofsted inspection yesterday. It is always a nerve racking experience but they all did so well and should be very proud of what they did, so I popped by first thing to drop off the goodies. I think they deserved at least one day with a more relaxed vibe!

The rest of the day was spent at home getting various jobs completed. The last few days have all felt a little disrupted and I needed to get myself back on track today. A chance to get up straight with the laundry and to clean around; a little 'gardening'...well pulling weeds up; more cataloguing of items from my dads house; finally getting around to moving things from downstairs into our new 'study/craft' room and even a little pre-school work in my new role as chairperson. So although I haven't been very far today it has been a productive day.

And the day was rounded out with Simon on the exercise bike and me doing some body-weight exercises. 

Although now it is time to put our feet up and watch this weeks Obi-Wan Kenobi.

See you tomorrow.

xx

 

Day 816 & Day 817

Another couple of days together...

Day 816...Monday

The day started with an early morning walk of 2.3 miles in 48 minutes and whilst it was a tad grey it didn't stop us enjoying our new normal.

The morning was spent catching up on a few jobs around the house until lunchtime. It was around this time that I received a text message from preschool letting me know that they'd had the dreaded Ofsted call! This meant that tomorrow would be inspection day and they wanted to know if I could be available.

Being part of the early years education sector means that all settings are inspected by Ofsted every few years. We'd been waiting for our next inspection ever since we moved into our new premises over 2 years ago, so whilst it didn't come as a surprise it still left everyone feeling nervous and anxious.

We have a fantastic team at preschool who all do an amazing job with passion and care but as soon as inspection gets mentioned everyone tends to self doubt themselves. This is only natural as the thought of someone who you don't know watching every thing you do and firing random questions at you can be enough to cause even the most confident of people to falter.

I then received another text asking if I could pop down in the afternoon to just go over a few things. So I jumped in the car and spent just under a couple of hours with them to reassure and answer questions to help get them ready for tomorrow.

Back home and Simon and I could resume our plans which was to run a couple of errands, one of which involved a trip to Lidl - whoop! By the time we arrived home it was quite late in the afternoon and so we decided to get a little exercise in. Simon jumped on the exercise bike while I concentrated on my body-weight exercises.

And with that Monday was done.

Day 817...Tuesday

So rather than getting out for a walk today I was up and out early to go into work to assist, where I could, with their Ofsted inspection.

I spent the morning with the team and my time was mainly spent interacting with the children which is something that I haven't done for quite a long time now. The inspector was lovely and spent lots of time talking to the staff and observing various activities. But around 12.30pm I had to make my excuses to leave. I spoke briefly with the inspector in case there was anything she needed me for, or any questions she had for me in my new role of committee chairperson, but all was good.

I needed to get home to play taxi service for Simon as he had an appointment at the fracture clinic at Derby hospital. So after a quick bite to eat for lunch we headed off to the wonders of Derby hospital. I had to kick Simon out of the car as the queues for the car parks were so long. It took me almost 25 minutes to get into a car park and get parked up. I then had the fun pastime of waiting for Simon in a rather warm car while writing this blog.

It was when I received messages from Simon telling me that a lady he was sat next to had been there an hour and forty minutes that I began to be a tad concerned as to how long we would be there for. Think we'd been spoilt by the efficiency of our local walk-in centre last week who'd been able to assess, x-ray and cast Simon's wrist in about 40 minutes straight!

Well after I'd been sat in the car waiting for about and an hour and a half I decided to go for a wander, stretch my legs and get out of the rather warm car. I managed to find a bench that was in partial shade and with a little breeze that was way more comfortable than sitting cooped up in the car. I messaged Simon to see how things were progressing and ten minutes later my phone was lighting up with a ton of messages from him, and just as I was about to reply Simon appeared at my side. It would appear that being in the depths of the hospital meant that the messages he'd sent hadn't physically been sent until he'd moved away from the fracture clinic and consequently they'd all arrived in my inbox at once!

Simon is now sporting a very smart looking, slimmer and less awkward cast in black! The consultant was happy with how the break was looking and it is now a case of keeping it in cast for about 4 weeks and hope that when he goes back all will be healed.

By the time we arrived home I'd received an update on the proceedings at pre-school. We will know the result in a few weeks time but until then it's a waiting game.

As Simon had missed a few hours of work this afternoon he spent a little time catching up this evening before we finally settled down with a cuppa to watch some TV.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 814 & 815 - The Weekend

I decided to write up 'the weekend' as one post as it has been a relatively quiet one.

Day 814 - Saturday...started very slowly and with a coffee to get us going we headed out for a not so early morning walk. We took a slightly different route to normal which turned out to be slightly shorter at just 1.8 miles, in 40 minutes.

After a very late breakfast/early lunch (maybe I should just call it brunch?!) we had an afternoon of catching up with a few bits and pieces. I managed to get all of the cataloguing of items from my dads house complete...finally! One of those jobs that seemed to take way longer than it should because searching the internet to figure out what things are is never as easy as you think it should be. Now I just need to figure out what to do with all the information I've gleaned.

Simon also had the task of replying to a retro game journalist who'd contacted him with some questions for an article all about the good old days of the Amiga, Rick Dangerous and gaming in the late 1980's and early 1990's! Simon managed to find an app that would convert a voice recording into text which meant he didn't have to type all of his responses as typing is a little awkward at the moment with a cast on his left arm!

A very quiet Saturday.

Day 815 - Sunday

We had a very slow start to the day as it was the first time in long while that we had no particular reason to be up and about.

But once we'd had a late breakfast we took off in the direction of Nottingham to have a wander and a mooch about. We had no real focus or intention, simply just thought it would be somewhere different to visit as it's been a few weeks and somewhere that was less likely to trigger Simon's hayfever!

It turned out to be a successful trip as we came away with a couple of t-shirts, a shirt and a pair of jeans for Simon and a t-shirt, dress, jumper and some make-up bits for me. Simon's shirt is unfortunately a little on the tight side over his arms (which he was quite pleased about!) so when we are in Nottingham next weekend (as we have a Dr Sketchy's to attend) we will get it exchanged.

I couldn't resist a walk through Primark and as is the law I came away with a couple of Disney themed purchases...

T-shirt - front

T-shirt - back

Cute dress

The weather was lovely as we wandered about and by the time we headed home we'd walked just over 3.5 miles! So shopping and exercise in one go - win!

It was then back home for coffee and blog writing!

See you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 813

Day 813...

And once more our morning started with a walk and today we were back out over the fields for 2.3 miles in 46 minutes.

This morning I spent some time with my brother as we were having some carpet laid at my dads house. We also needed to chat about the inquest into my dads death to decide whether we wanted to attend or not. We have both decided not to attend in person but rather have the ability to dial in to hear the proceedings virtually, should we wish to do so at the time.

After lunch I was able to record an episode of the Disney Dream Girls podcast ready for release this coming Sunday. We hadn't planned on recording this week as Michelle had a very busy weekend ahead of her but unfortunately she has had to cancel her plans as she was not very well. So with an unexpected day off work Michelle decided that she could now manage recording a show...talking Disney always makes us feel better.

And then very late afternoon saw the delivery of my butchers order; 5kg chicken, 5kg steak mince, 4.5 kg bacon and 100 sausages. The delivery company decided that leaving the parcel at my front door wasn't an option and instead left it in a random spot near my house. This meant moving a very heavy and large box that was beginning to fall apart. There was no way that I could pick it up and asking Simon was out of the question so I had to 'walk' the box down some steps and into the house. By the time I'd got the box over the doorstep it had almost fallen apart...not happy with the delivery company at all!

But with all that I shall say see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 812

Day 812...

Our day started, as is the norm at the moment, with an early morning walk. We completed 2.4 miles in 44 minutes and were back home before 9am.

After a quick tidy and clean around I was out the door to nip to Lidl for a few bits and pieces; I always try and coincide my Lidl shop with their weekly release of vouchers just in case there's anything I can make use of!!

My day then consisted of a few household tasks broken up with more cataloguing of items from my mum and dads house. It is taking me much longer than I'd initially thought as trying to research what the items are is so time consuming. I am getting there but there is still much more to do.

Half way through the day I received a call from our local coroners office to advise me that we now have a date for the inquest into my dad's death. Thankfully because the evidence is all straight forward we have been able to go for a 'fast track inquest' which means that in a couple of weeks time we will be able to draw a line and bring some closure to my dads passing.

Yesterday evening in lieu of our normal gym session we had instead opted for taking an evening walk, and while the walk itself was fine it had triggered Simon's hayfever for the first time proper this year. He was left with very sore and irritated eyes which resulted in one of his contact lenses 'getting lost' in his eye...thankfully he was able to retrieve it after numerous attempts but it left his eye feeling even worse. So tonight we decided against a walk and instead Simon gave the exercise bike a try; he wasn't sure how it would feel with one arm in a cast but he managed exactly what he would have done normally. While Simon cycled I focused on some body-weight exercises instead.

And I think that is where I will leave it for today, see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 810 & 811

Day 810...

I never got around to writing a blog post for yesterday so decided to clump two days together instead.

Yesterday started with an early morning walk of 2.3 miles in 46 minutes; we are loving this way to start our day not only do we get some exercise but being out in the fresh air really gives your day a kick start.

My day was primarily focused around cataloguing all the bits and pieces from my mum and dads house. We need to be able to clear the house in readiness for selling it and last week I had taken photos of all those items that need a little research before we just give them away. So it was a case of going through the photos and making a physical list of everything along with making notes from any internet research I could drum up. I still have a fair bit to go through so will be dipping in and out of this task over the next day or so before we can make a decision as to what we do with it all.

Simon was still in a little pain and discomfort from falling over on Monday evening and landing on his wrist. It hasn't really bruised but is a little puffy around where the wrist meets the palm of his hand. But he kept up with keeping it wrapped, taking pain killers and trying to keep it elevated as much as possible which is a bit tricky when your job involves using a keyboard. But the movement by the end of the day had improved although it's a long way off being right!

And the day was rounded out with my 'leaving doo' from work...yes the work that I finished on the 27th May...unfortunately the original planned event was cancelled due to a couple of the team not being well and so it had been rescheduled to last night. We went to a local Indian restaurant, in fact the one we normally use for our take-out meals, and it was lovely. A couple of hours to chat and enjoy some great food and I suppose kind of draws a line under my 'working' time at pre-school...maybe now I'll feel like I've officially retired?

Day 811...

Today's early morning walk was a little further and a bit quicker than yesterdays at 2.5 miles in 44 minutes; but this was a much flatter route and we stuck to the pavements rather than going over the fields as the rain last night meant everywhere was still a little wet!

Simon's wrist was still not great although our wonderful NHS has not been much help so far...using their online triage system yesterday it had recommended visiting our local GP. Mmm...neither of us had much confidence that they would be able to do anything more than what we've been doing never mind being able to get an appointment to see anyone and then factoring in all the stupid 'covid safe' measures that they are still insisting on!

My morning consisted of some online shopping...I needed to place a butchers order as our bacon supplies were getting dangerously low and was also trying to find some low carb, high protein snack bars. We find these come in really handy when we are out Star Wars trooping but we had used up our supply at the weekend and unfortunately the brand I normally go for haven't currently got in stock a flavour that we like so I found myself going down the rabbit hole of protein bars!! Who knew there were so many variations out there!

By late morning Simon decided to phone our NHS 111 service to see if there was anything they could suggest for his wrist...made the call...couldn't get through due to 'high demand'! So I decided to try the online version again and this time it offered a call back service...no idea why this wasn't offered yesterday when we'd tried but whatever it was better than nothing. The system said we would get a call within 30 minutes. About 10 minutes later Simon had spoken with them and secured a 1pm appointment at our local walk-in centre!! Luckily we had enough time for something to eat before heading on out as thankfully the centre is only about a 15/20 minute drive away.

And the result of our visit...Simon's wrist is broken and he came away with it in a cast. We now have to wait for for the fracture clinic at our local hospital to get in touch; I'm assuming they will assess his injury and decide whether a cast is the right treatment. But for now the cast is there to keep his wrist stable and prevent any further damage until he can be seen by a specialist.

But the great thing was that he was in and out in forty minutes; I've noticed that one of the side-effects of covid has been a greater reduction in out-patient waiting times as I suspect appointments are more staggered to avoid too many people in one place at a time. A positive that I hope continues so that we have a much better experience when we do need to visit the NHS. On the way home I popped into a local chemist to collect my prescription and I think that took longer than Simon getting his wrist examined and put in a cast!!

With Simon's wrist now being in cast that has put a wrinkle in our weekly routine of gym sessions and, for Simon, using the exercise bike so we decided to end the day with another walk. We stuck to the main road as everywhere was still wet from the few showers we have had on and off today and completed 2 miles in 39 minutes.

But now it is time to get off the laptop and watch this weeks episode of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 809

Day 809...

Our Monday morning started with coffee followed by a 2.5 mile walk in 46 minutes - boom!

It was then off to Asda to collect this weeks grocery shopping before returning home for an online doctors appointment. I've been menopausal for a number of years now and had been recommended a doctor who specialises in treating women with the menopause to see if she could help with night sweats and consequently broken nights sleep.

Having been diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in 2019 I have been reluctant to go down the route of hormone treatments because of the link between them and breast cancer. Estrogen therapy for menopause symptoms can be problematic for women who have had, or may be at risk of, breast cancer so I need to be careful which treatments, if any, I pursue. But it was lovely to chat with a doctor who had the time to talk and explain and offer solutions; a plan has been put in place and we will see how we get on over the next few weeks.

After a spot of lunch (or very late breakfast as it was our first meal of the day) we decided to go on another walk but this time we drove to a local country park...Elvaston Castle. This resulted in a walk of 3.5 miles in an hour and fourteen minutes; suffice to say I have exceed my 10,000 steps today!

Back home and we decided to have a bit of a workout; while I stayed indoors to do some body-weight exercises Simon ventured outdoors to 'our gym'. But he'd not been out there all that long when he came back in rather annoyed with himself. He'd decided to do some sprints up and down the short lane to our house and had slipped on some wet leaves and moss and had fallen over. Although there were no cuts or grazes his left wrist had taken the brunt of the fall and was feeling a little tender! He'd attempted to carry on with his workout but his wrist was having none of it so the workout was cut short and the rest of the evening was spent keeping his wrist elevated and alternating between icing it and wrapping it in a support bandage. We are hoping that it is just badly bruised or maybe sprained as he is able to move all his fingers and there are no obvious or unusual lumps or bumps. We will see how it goes overnight and  if it's no better tomorrow it may need a trip to A&E!

We shall wait and see...see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 808

Day 808...

And today was all about the Star Wars, with another day of trooping for charity.

The day started relatively early for a Sunday and after some breakfast and a kit check we loaded up the car and were on our way by about 9am. Thankfully we only had a few miles to travel to support an event called Greasley Gathering.

The organisers of the event had asked if the East Midlands Garrison, the Star Wars costuming group that we are part of, could attend the event in exchange for a donation to the charity we support, PASIC. It is a local community event that has run for a number of years and has been supported by the Garrison in years gone by but because of the pandemic had not taken place since 2019.

Although we'd been invited at short notice we were able to gather together six of us to wander around the event, join in the fun and have lots of photos taken. Although the weather forecast was not great for today and I had feared that the day could have turned into a washout. Thankfully the site where the event took place was a sports centre and a good portion of the stalls and activities had been brought inside out of the cold and the rain.

The attendance seemed to be pretty decent although it was such a shame that the massive outdoor area could not be used as I would imagine with better weather it would have been even busier. But we still managed to entertain with lots of photos and even some dancing...yes dancing! There was a great live band playing 'rock n roll' and it was just too good an opportunity to pass up for our Stormtroopers, but by the end of the afternoon I think we had all stepped up for a bit of a boogie.

But thanks to the kind generosity of the events organising committee, and of those attending we raised just over £120 for our charity PASIC; this is a charity that supports families of children with cancer and at all our troops we raise money for them as well as helping out with any events that they organise.

Stormtrooper & Governor Pryce

After a full day on our feet it was good to get home, have something to eat and to put our feet up...well we will do once this blog is written and our kits have been checked over and stored away ready for another day.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 807

Day 807...

And we have reached the weekend and it's a Saturday.

We did not rush to get up, but once we were up and about, and fueled with a coffee, we set out on our morning walk. We completed 2.5 miles in 48 minutes, and we are loving this new way to start the day. A chance to get some fresh air, blow the cobwebs away and chance for us to chat and connect.

The morning saw us catch up on a few boring household tasks and Simon made more headway with the plinth he is constructing to go under our table top mirror in the bedroom. In fact by the end of the day he'd managed to shape the plinth to fit through a combination of chiseling, filling and sanding, and had also applied a first coat of varnish.

This afternoon was yet more housework as we had a bit of a good old clean through in a couple of rooms. We had thought we might get out for a second walk but the day was rather grey and it threatened with rain on and off...this does not bode well for our activities tomorrow. We are joining some fellow East Midlands Garrison Star Wars friends to take part in a local charity event, however the day is forecast to be very wet all day and as far as I know the whole event is held outdoors...this could be interesting!

And I think that is where I will leave it for today.

See you tomorrow,
xx

Day 806

Day 806...

Friday and another bank holiday! And another day that started with an early morning walk of 2.3 miles over the fields, and a few hills, in 44 minutes.

This morning saw Simon busy in the garage making a wood plinth to go underneath a freestanding mirror that we have in the bedroom that is just a bit too low. I was able to get the mountain of ironing completed and then had some time to try out some make-up for my Star Wars cosplay.

Having got back into uniform last weekend I'd decided that the make-up that I use to create the character needed a bit of a revamp. As we have another troop ahead of us this coming Sunday I wanted to have a practice run through of my make-up to see if I could create the look I wanted. I was pretty happy with what I did and feel a lot more confident about the look going forward.

This afternoon I enjoyed a little time sat outside enjoying the sunshine and the warmth, which was a nice surprise as the forecast had been for rain. I was also able to get a little research done ahead of podcast recording this evening.

But before that I decided to get a little gym workout in. I concentrated on getting my daily planks completed along with a few body weight exercises before heading outside to our gym to lift a few weights around. I will admit that today's workout felt a little hard going although I'm not really sure why.

The end of the day was spent chatting with my podcast co-host Michelle as we recorded an episode of the Disney Dream Girls for this Sunday's release along with a special show for our Patreon subscribers.

And that was Friday, see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 805

Day 805...

And we have a Thursday...a Thursday...that's a bank holiday...hence the need to keep reminding myself that today was Thursday!

It's the start of the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations hence the bank holiday on a Thursday and another one tomorrow. Although the jubilee won't really affect us as we will simply enjoy the days and do whatever we feel like doing.

And this morning that involved starting the day with a walk in the sunshine. We did the same walk as yesterday morning heading out over the fields on a hilly 1.9 mile walk in 38 minutes. Loving this way to start the day and delaying breakfast until lunchtime is suiting both Simon and I.

Our day has been a very chilled out sort of day; we nipped out for a spot of grocery shopping, we took the car 'for a coffee'...well we had the coffee after Simon had made use of the jet wash at the garage adjacent to the Starbucks, we hoovered and cleaned the interior of the car once we were home and the garage also had a clean. As the garage doubles as our gym we do try and keep it as clean as possible so that it makes for a nicer workout environment.

Towards the end of the afternoon Simon jumped on the exercise bike while I completed my set of planks for the day along with a few more floor exercises. I am trying to get back into the routine of completing planks, sit-ups, push-ups etc most days. These are the exercises that I used to do when I first went low carb and I am hoping to get back into making them part of my daily routine as much as possible.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 804

Day 804...

And we have reached the middle of the working week and what is the last working day for Simon and Ethan as we have an extra long bank holiday weekend ahead of us as the country celebrates the Queens jubilee.

But our day started very much like yesterday with an early morning walk. We took a hillier, and slightly shorter route this morning completing 1.9 miles in 38 minutes and according to my fitness tracker that equated to 34 minutes of fat burning!

My morning was spent at my dads house as I continued with the job of categorising all the bits and pieces that we need to find new homes for. I've taken lots of photos so that I have a pretty comprehensive record of what we have. There is everything from glass paperweights, to crockery sets, china collectibles, old board games, books and even some cigarette cards from the 1930's!

I made sure I was home for when Simon broke for lunch which is now our 'breakfast'...and I have to say that neither of us has found it difficult missing the usual breakfast time slot and deferring it till lunchtime. Intermittent fasting so far is pretty okay.

I'd hoped that this afternoon would have been a mixture of indoors and outdoors but the weather had different ideas. After a glorious start to the day (we walked in sunshine in t-shirts) it had turned rather grey and rained off and on for the afternoon. So I spent my time at the laptop googling some of the items that I'd found at my dads to see what they were and what best to do with them.

It was fascinating to discover all the old cigarette cards which must have belonged to my grandad and even more amazing was that they were stored in an old 'Cadburys's Selection Box' which dates back to the 1960's and doubled as a board game! 

The day was rounded out with a gym workout; I decided to complete some planks and floor exercises indoors before joining Simon out in the gym to lift some weights around. Pretty happy that I managed a full plank for 1 minute and side planks for about 35 seconds each.

See you all tomorrow.
xx