Day 890 & Day 891

Day 890...Friday

The morning was bright, sunny and a little chilly but within 36 minutes we had our usual 1.9 mile walk completed.

My morning started off with a few household chores; some laundry and some cleaning around. But once those jobs were out the way I took the time to paint my nails; not something I do that often and apart from an odd occasion where I've paid to have them done, it's something I tend to do myself. I do have a UV gel nail kit that Simon bought me a few years ago but it still takes a fair while to get them done that way so a cheap bottle of quick drying, one coat varnish is my preferred go to option!

Not a bad effort for a £1 nail varnish from Primark!

Maybe now that I am retired I could take advantage of the extra time and actually indulge in a manicure every now and then. Trouble is I know once I start it will become a habit, and not a cheap one at that! Best dig out that UV light instead.

But with freshly done nails it gave me the perfect excuse to sit outside in the sunshine (to let them dry of course), enjoy a coffee and catch up on a little reading.

After lunch it was a mixture of little tasks. I had a present to wrap ahead of going out tomorrow evening, there was another 3D print that needed cleaning up, more research on the ideas for my next tattoo, some jigsaw time and re-connecting with an old friend over social media.

An old friend of ours had posted on social media about the different medications they now find themselves on and so both Simon and I had reached out to chat about diet and lifestyle choices. With both of us living a low carb/keto life we are keen to pass on what information we have gained over the years. Often people do not want to know what we do, they are content to carry on as they are and just take a pill that will make everything alright. Our approach is to do the utmost that we can to eat right and live right to try and stack the odds in our favour so that we can avoid as much of the possible downfalls of getting older that we can. No-one can ever rule out getting something horrid but at least we can try and put ourselves in the best possible position for dealing with it or avoiding it completely. For once our old friend didn't dismiss what we had to say and so we started chatting and hopefully we have been able to point them in the right direction. 

On this blog I have a couple of pages 'Eating Well, Staying Healthy' and 'Getting Real' which document my approach to a healthy lifestyle and my progress. Both of these pages are a few years old now so I think they are due either an update or a new additional page and I'm hoping to find some time to do just that. Please check the pages out if you want to know a little more about what I do!

Friday was rounded out with a gym session although I really wasn't feeling it tonight for some reason. My left shoulder can sometimes cause me issues and I think tonight was one of those nights and I perhaps just need to give myself a little more recovery time in between those sessions where I focus on my shoulders. But I still got down the gym and did something which has to be better than nothing.

Day 891...Saturday

We had a more gentle getting up this morning and with a coffee inside us headed out for our morning walk. As we had a few things that we wanted to get done today we just stuck to our usual 1.9 mile route and in 37 minutes we were back home again.

The morning was taken up with helping Simon with an interview he'd been asked to do for a retro gaming journalist in Russia! A fair few years ago (like over 20 years ago) Simon had been the lead designer on a game called Shadowman that seems to have developed a bit of a cult following as he often gets asked about his time working on it. Often Simon will be approached with questions for magazine articles but in this case the journalist is working on a documentary and so Simon thought it would be better to video his answers to the questions. This involved a little bit of set-up to get the positioning and lighting just right. We had decided to invest in a stand that will hold either a phone or video camera that comes with its own light ring as well as a small clip on microphone which once set made the whole process so much easier. And before we knew it the morning had flown by and it was time for lunch.

After lunch I decided to get caught up with writing this blog as I'd run out of time yesterday while Simon edited the mornings video before sending them off. It was also chance to get some more tattoo research done (yes I know more...but it has to be right!) so hopefully I can now get the images sent over to my tattooist at some point this weekend.

I decided to get a little jigsaw done before taking the time to get my make-up sorted ready for going out later in the evening. We are helping some friends of ours celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary and they have hired out a room at the pub across the road from where we live, which is very convenient. So for the first time in a while we are going 'out, out' so I thought I'd better put my best face on. I don't tend to do full make-up very often as it's normally just a bit of mascara, touch of blush, some lipstick and off we go so today I got chance to play with some eye colours. I'm not one for 'natural' colours and have always preferred to go for something brighter but I always feel out of practice so I made sure I gave myself plenty of time rather than rushing at the last minute.

And that is where I'm going to leave it for today...time to go out and have some fun.

See you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 882 & Day 883

Day 882...Thursday

Well the day started very grey again and just before we stepped out the door it started to rain. But it didn't stop us and thankfully it didn't last too long but we still stuck to our new route following the pavements and managed another 2.2 miles in 39 minutes. We even bumped into a couple of old friends who were out walking their dog and had got caught in the rain. 

My morning job was to nip down to Lidl to stock up on a few bits and bobs, and in hindsight I was glad I decided to go down today as there was a water leak along the main road which now means the road is closed until early next week! 

The remainder of my Thursday was split between grabbing a coffee outside when the sunshine came out, starting my next jigsaw (sorting the edge pieces) and a lot of online stuff.

I managed to 'chat' online with a local jewellers to make an appointment with them to look at some of the jewellery we'd found at my dads house. I tried to book my car in for a service but couldn't quite manage it so have requested a call back (which I am still waiting for) and then it was time to book a hotel.

We are going to see Molly and Dan at the end of September and so needed to get a hotel booked for a few nights. I'd looked around to see if I could find somewhere different to our usual hotel but after much searching I realised that there are many good reasons why we go back to the same place each time; great location, breakfast included, always clean and tidy, lovely staff and free electric car charging! Having looked at various dates we'd settled on a longer stay than normal so that it would tie in with Molly's non-working days, plus we will get a longer break away from home too.

I also spent a considerable amount of time online acting as admin and technical support for my podcast co-host, and very good friend Michelle, who is out in Walt Disney World at the moment. Facebook had decided to lock her out of her account which meant she was unable to post to our podcast page and message friends who she was due to be meeting. Thankfully I was able to get in touch with her friends and provide them with alternate ways to get in touch and between us we managed to get her back online, although not as fully online as she could have been. Technology is great when it works but when it doesn't it is a pain in the bum!

After a forty five minute session down the gym where I focused on abs and legs it was time for a spot of dinner before settling down to watch the latest Marvel series; She Hulk! And I really enjoyed it, it was well acted, a little bit goofy and simply fun to watch. Fingers crossed the series carries on in that way.

Day 883...Friday

So having run out of time yesterday to write my blog we now have two days for the price of one.

This morning we were back to blue skies and sunshine, although it was not as warm as it has been of late. This meant we could get back to our usual walk over the fields and our hilly 1.9 mile walk completed in 35 minutes.

I was then off out to the jewellers to see what we could do with the jewellery we had found. As most of it didn't hold any sentimental value we have simply been able to cash it in along with confirming that some of the items we have are just costume pieces that I think we will ultimately sell via Ebay. I do have a couple of pieces of jewellery that belonged to my mum that are in need of repair and I was in two minds as to what to do with them. I don't want to part with them but they are not really my style but then Simon came up with a great suggestion; could they be made into a bespoke piece that could incorporate my love of Disney? Chatting to the jewellers and the answer is yes. I now need to think about what that would look like before making another appointment to sort a design. They were also able to confirm that one of my dads gold chains could be made into bracelets relatively easily and I simply need to work out the sizing.

When my dad had passed Molly had asked if she could have two gold bracelets that he used to wear as keepsakes but having looked far and wide we have not been able to find them. So instead Molly is going to have the gold chain that he always wore instead. She has measured up and we are going to have it made into a bracelet and an anklet for her instead.

The remainder of the day saw me catching up with a few jobs around the house; a little cleaning and even some gardening...well okay weeding! And in doing some cleaning around I found the missing piece from my last jigsaw it had somehow worked its way under the stairs!

I did also make a start on my latest jigsaw by getting the outside edge completed.

It was then time for the final workout of the week by paying a visit to our gym and 'throwing' some weights around.

And that was Friday, I need to stop typing now as we have Drag Race Canada to watch.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 876

Day 876...

We have had yet another glorious day with clear blue skies, sunshine and high temperatures. Whilst we started our day with a walk it was a little different to normal. We set off later than normal as about half way round Simon and I parted ways...Simon headed off home while I continued on. My destination was a local cafe called 'The Cowshed' so that I could meet up with a friend for coffee.

The walk over was 2.6 miles which I completed in 49 minutes, while the walk back was a little shorter at 2.3 miles in 42 minutes. It was lovely to catch-up over coffee and lovely to be blessed with such a beautiful day although by the time I got home just before lunch I was rather sweaty to say the least!!

A few photos from my walk this morning...

And of course had to get one of the Alpacas....

I arrived home to a couple of parcels...

Not only had the Funko Stitch arrived so that I now have a complete set of the Funko PeopleMover figures...

...but we also received our new Kindle Paperwhite along with a wireless charging dock and case. Consequently this afternoon I took a little time to set everything up which was super easy as I just had to login to the Kindle app on my phone and hey presto everything synced up and it was ready to use.

Mid-afternoon my very good friend, and podcast co-host, Michelle stopped by for a cuppa on her journey down South. She was making her way to her hotel for the evening before she embarks on her journey tomorrow to Orlando, Florida. Yep Michelle is going to Walt Disney World and she also has a Disney cruise booked to round out her vacation. Although things are proving a little stressful as the airline has decided to move her and her friends seats around so they are no longer sitting together despite having paid extra to reserve their seats. Plus she also had to upload proof of her vaccination to the Disney Cruise Line as they will only allow fully vaccinated guests to board providing they have also tested negative 48 hours prior to boarding. This is another level of stress for Michelle as she has to figure out how to get tested and get the test uploaded prior to her cruise while being in a foreign country who follow different rules and protocols to us in the UK.

I really do think it is time that we drop all these silly rules that are still in place for a virus that is now no worse than the flu and is endemic within society. We need to get some common sense and go back to how things were before and adopt a sensible approach...if you are ill stay home - simples! This is how it should have always been and for the majority of people it was. There is no point making yourself do something or go somewhere when you are feeling rough...take the time off, rest and you will be back on your feet ten times quicker than if you soldier on as you will then find yourself in a worse state.

What we need to be doing is educating people about looking after themselves, getting them to be as healthy as they can possibly be so that if a cold or a flu does come along they are in their best shape to deal with it. Unfortunately the cynic in me says that is not a profitable approach. If people eat well and exercise well then how will big food make their profits and if people are fit and healthy then how do big pharma get rich? So in turn why should those of us that do the best we can with our diet and fitness be penalised because the majority choose not to?

And in my attempt to look after myself we finished the day with a gym workout and although it was still very hot there was actually quite a nice breeze and so most of my workout was done outside. Tonight I was concentrating on arms and shoulders.

See you all tomorrow.

xx

Day 869, 870 & 871

Day 869...Friday

This morning started with an increase to my cold shower so I am now at two minutes and forty five seconds! Still got a little way to go to match Simon's four minutes but not doing too bad.

My phone weather app was telling me there was a 74% chance of rain but the skies were blue so we went out on our early morning walk armed with the umbrella just in case...did we need it? Nope!Anyways we did our usual 1.9 miles in another quick 36 minutes and stayed dry all the way round.

My morning was spent catching up on a few odd jobs and having a bit of a clean through before stopping to have a little jigsaw time. Ordinarily I would leave my jigsaw until the afternoon but as it sits in front of some french doors and is in direct sunlight during the mid to late afternoon it can get a tad hot. So today I thought I'd take advantage of the shade and get a few pieces moved around before lunch.

I tried numerous times throughout the day to sit outside and soak up some vitamin D but failed as it decided to rain each time I poked my head out the door, despite my wonderful weather app telling me there was zero percent chance of rain! Mmm something tells me I ought not to pay much attention to this app!

One of the tasks that I have set myself is to go through all the bits and pieces at my mum and dads house and figure out what to do with it all. Myself and my brother have gone through everything and taken anything that meant something to us or could be useful and our kids have done the same. But now we are left with a lot of items that are simply too good to throw away and need to go where they will be appreciated. So this afternoon I made a start...a little start! To be honest I've been putting it off because it feels like such a monumental task and I haven't had the willpower to simply just start but I need to man up and get on with it.

So this afternoon I started with something small; some jewellery. I wanted to go through all the bits that we have and figure out what we actually have and what to do with it. I've decided to keep my mum's engagement and eternity rings although I'm not sure if I'll ever wear them. The engagement ring is quite thin and has some stones missing so would need some restoration work doing to it before it could be worn but I have always loved this ring and am just happy to be able to have it. The other pieces that we have could possibly have belonged to my grandparents as I don't remember seeing them at all but I simply don't know. I think I will be taking them to a local jeweller to get them appraised and see where we go from there.

One item that I'd brought home from my dads house was a christening gown that appeared to be in too good a condition to have been mine but as my brother was christened in hospital not long after he'd been born (he was in an incubator for a few weeks and things were a bit touch and go!) it made sense that it would be mine. So I did a little investigation by looking through some old photo albums, and sure enough found photographs of my christening in early 1968! And I am pretty sure that yes the christening gown we have found is mine! It has a label that is definitely from that time but it's condition is amazing, in fact it looks like new.

The day was rounded out with our third weights workout of the week and today I was focused on arms and shoulders. Really happy with how my workouts are going at the moment as having found some new moves online it seems to have reinvigorated my attitude towards exercise. 

Day 870...Saturday

This morning was a change to our routine as after we'd had a coffee we headed into Derby. It was really nice to actually dress a bit smarter for a change (tend to be a shorts and t-shirt kind of girl) and I was more than a little happy that the denim dress I chose to wear felt like it fitted me much better than it did this time last year so I must be doing something right.

Once in Derby I wanted to pop into Next to see if they had some shorts I've been after; I bought a pair online a few weeks back and decided that a second pair was needed. However they are no longer in stock online and when we visited Nottingham on Monday their store didn't have any and today Derby was no better! Wish I'd ordered a second pair straight away now!

We then went in search of coffee before heading off for a wander around the city centre. It is so sad to see so many shops empty but thankfully the one shop we did want to pop into was still open; Warhammer! Purely for Simon as he needed some model paints for finishing off a couple of prop making endeavours he has on the go at the moment. On our way back to the car we had the obligatory stop by Primark but unfortunately there was nothing that caught my eye.

On the way home we stopped by a DIY store to purchase a piece of furniture panel that we could make into shelves for the cupboards we have built upstairs in our new study/craft room. We had taken measurements before we had left home this morning so knew that the piece of panel whilst big enough to make the shelves that we needed would be too big to fit in the car. So we had come armed with a tape measure, a couple of saws and our calculations of where we needed to cut it! So using a couple of large trolleys as a bench we were able to take a 2.39 metre piece and cut it in half so that it fit perfectly in the car and knowing that each half would make two shelves of differing sizes!

After a spot of lunch we then spent the afternoon spent cutting the wood panel to the correct size for the four shelves that we needed. Although the units we'd bought were Ikea they didn't sell extra shelves hence why we were having to make our own. When we'd looked at the panel online we knew that it wouldn't be quite as deep as the shelves we already had but it was the best sizing that we'd been able to find. But when Simon started to measure up we found out that the piece we'd picked up was actually deeper than the one we'd seen online and in fact deeper than the existing shelves! So although this did involve extra cutting for Simon it did mean that by the time we'd finished we had four new shelves that matched perfectly to the existing ones - win!

The last job was to iron on the white trim to cover up the bare wood edges and while the edges were 'setting' we nipped out to Lidl for some salad stuff. Back home and all the edges were set and just needed a quick tidy up by Simon. 

The one thing we hadn't picked up when we bought the wood panel were shelf pegs but that was probably a good thing because when we went to order some online we realised that the holes we have were slightly smaller than the standard. But by the power of Amazon we were able to order enough pegs to be delivered tomorrow.

Day 871...Sunday

Today we had a gentle start to the day and with a coffee inside us we headed out for a not quite so early morning walk. We had a lovely 3.5 mile walk in gorgeous weather in one hour and 7 minutes, although this did involve some blackberry picking along the way! 

Our first job of the day was to swap over some light fittings. We had a couple of wall lights that we had bought when we moved into our first house and that had come with us when we moved here a lot of years ago. Suffice to say these lights were showing their age by rocking an eighties vibe pretty well! After taking them down Simon need to fill a few holes before we could put up the new fixtures, so while the filler harden we had some lunch. It was then a simple job of putting up the new brackets and installing the new much simpler sconces.

By mid-afternoon the shelf pegs had arrived so we were able to see if all our hard work from yesterday paid off and thankfully we were able to install all four shelves with relative ease. We now have three cupboards with extra shelf space which is great as Simon is now able to store all his art materials in a much better way to keep all the paper and card flat and clean.

Simon has also been able to spend a little time cleaning up some model parts as well as airbrushing his latest R2D2 3D printed pieces. He was even able to get a little more paint applied to the interior of R2's doors as he puts those final finishing touches in place.

I've been able to catch up with writing this blog and then at 6pm I was able to hook up via Zoom for one of our  Disney Dream Girls Sunday Disney Quizzes! And I think I won which means that I'm going to have to write the next set of questions although our next quiz won't now be until the end of September!

And with that I think I will stop typing and see you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 862

Day 862...

We were back to a slightly grey start to the day again today but we headed out and completed our usual 1.9 miles in 38 minutes. We did have a little stop part way around as we bumped into one of the 'mum's from school' from when Molly attended primary school many years ago and she wanted to know how Molly was doing?!!

The rest of my day was pretty quiet but at the same time relatively productive. I managed to get caught up on a couple of small jobs as well as the joy of the ironing pile. I also ventured into the garden shed to sort boxes...yes you read that correct...boxes! As we know we're going to have a fair amount of 'stuff' from my dads house to store here with us, and we know that some of that 'stuff' will eventually be sold on, we have been saving any box and packaging that could be useful. But as a result everything had been thrown into the shed and so it all needed sorting so that we have more room for storing more boxes!  I even battled with a very scary looking spider that was a little too active for my liking. In fact as soon as I saw it move inside a box the box quickly found its way outside the shed and strewn on the path. But I was brave and poked at the box and only picked it up again after I spotted the spider crawl out and hide itself between the paving slabs!!

After lunch I decided to make the most of the dry weather and got the weedkiller out! We had a few very nasty, spikey looking weeds that needed dealing with and so I mixed up some weedkiller and got spraying. A very satisfying job and I now look forward to seeing all the weeds shrivel up and die over the next few days!

I then carried on with what has turned into my kitchen cupboard cleaning project. I had a few cupboards that just needed a general clean and one cupboard that I decided was in need of a clear out. There were a number of serving bowls and dishes that haven't been used in ages and don't actually fit in with our other crockery and so I decided it was time to let them go. Some in fact were items that we bought way back in 1988 before we got married and probably before we'd even bought our first house, and we were buying things ready to 'set up home'! Fair to say that I think we've had our monies worth!

I then took a little time out to watch one of my favourite TV programs. I don't have that many shows that only I like to watch but I have always been fascinated with family trees and have always watched 'Who Do You Think You Are'. Realising that a few new epsiodes had recently been released I'm catching up with them when I get a spare few minutes. I'd love to see some of the American versions but tracking them down here in the UK is a little bit of a challenge!

It was then time to head down our gym for a weights workout. Simon is making great strides with his routine and although he may not be lifting the weight he was a few weeks back he's now able to carry out all the different movements. It's just a matter of time before he'll be back to where he was. I've been looking up lots of different exercises online in an effort to try new things, have new routines and just mix things up a bit. This is proving a great way to re-invigorate my interest in exercise and I am really enjoying finding new ways of moving weights and my body.

And that was Friday, I will see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 855

Day 855...

The day started, like yesterday; rather grey although not quite as wet but it was still raining as we headed out for our early morning walk. Another 1.9 miles completed in 37 minutes.

My first job was to nip out to Lidl to get some fresh bits and pieces. And within ten minutes of me arriving home my butchers order arrived; 100 sausages, some pork steaks and 7kg of bacon! This meant that the majority of my morning was spent splitting it all into meal size portions and finding space in the freezer. And to round the morning out I got up straight with the ironing.

After lunch I had a few cleaning jobs to sort, some tidying away to do and a keto bread to make. By mid-afternoon the sun had decided to make an appearance so I took advantage and spent a little time getting my vitamin D intake for the day while enjoying a coffee.

Around 4pm we got the message from Molly that her and Dan were on their way to see us for the weekend. Molly's car had also been to the garage this morning for its annual MOT and thankfully it passed without issue. 

Today also marked day three of cold showers for me! Simon has been doing these for a while now and although I'd attempted them a month or so ago I hadn't really stuck at it, but I've decided to give them another go. Simon now manages four minutes each day but I'm starting off with just one minute and so far so good! There are supposed to be lots of health benefits to cold therapy including reduced inflammation, better immune response and the activation of brown fat (which helps get rid of the bad fat...fingers crossed). So I'm giving it a try to see whether it makes any noticeable effect, although it will take a few weeks, and ultimately longer showers, to create any difference - who knows?!

Molly and Dan arrived by early evening and it is lovely to have them here for a couple of days to catch-up.

See you tomorrow.
xx
 

Day 847 & Day 848

Day 847...Thursday

And once more we were up and about heading off over the fields for our early morning walk of 1.9 miles in 38 minutes. Tuesday to Friday we tend to stick to a shorter walk so that we are home in time for Simon to start work.

My first task of the day was to head down to Lidl and re-stock on a few fresh items. Once I was home and everything put away I decided to have a weights workout.

Ordinarily our workouts tend to fall at the end of the day but with Simon still unable to use the weights I decided to try my workout earlier in the day. I was interested to see how I found it as we are now intermittent fasting and not having our first meal of the day until lunchtime. I'd tried a few weeks back to have a small session after our morning walk but I didn't feel great doing it and ended up cutting it short. But today the workout fell around 11am and actually worked pretty well. I was really pleased with how I felt and was able to get all the sets in that I would have normally done at the end of the day. And because our gym is in the garage, and because we haven't been using it as often as we would do normally, I also had to contend with a fair few spiders and so ended up hoovering in between sets!!

After lunch I had some paperwork to file, some emails to respond to and postage to buy. While clearing out my dads house I'd come across a souvenir brochure to mark the opening of the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum at Stewart Park in Middlesbrough. The brochure was stamped 1978 and I think must have belonged to my grandma. My family originates from Middlesbrough and I spent lots of my childhood visiting the area and have memories of visiting Stewart Park and a vague memory of visiting the museum (although I suspect as a child I was probably not very interested in a museum about an explorer!). Anyway I had emailed the museum to see whether or not it was something they would like for their records. It turned out that they did not have a copy of the brochure and would be very grateful if I would like to donate it, which I have dutifully done. It was a lovely keepsake that would have meant a lot to my grandma but now needs to be somewhere where it will be appreciated.

Then in a moment of madness I decided to do a little gardening...I know what was I thinking?! Although to be fair my idea of gardening was to wash down the garden furniture as it was looking a tad dirty and then to chop back a bit more of the pineapple broom plant that each year seems to takeover one corner of our garden. It is a lovely plant but needs to be kept under control!

At the end of the day we had a local electrician visit to give us a quote for a few jobs that we need doing. I'd been holding out for a friend's partner to visit but he was proving to be rather elusive to track down and so on our morning walks we'd seen a company hard at work at one of our neighbours property. I liked the fact that they were working at 8am, looked smart and had vans well equipped with all the necessary electrical stuff...so I dropped them an email. They responded that day and were able to pop out this evening to have a look and see whether they could help us out. We now await their quote.

Day 848...Friday

It was a little cooler this morning which was rather pleasant and we got another 1.9 miles in 38 minutes done before 8.45am.

I had no real plans for the day and so wasn't sure what was in store for me. I had a couple of household tasks that I wanted to get done and those seemed to lead into the format of the day.

I hoovered through, I dusted, I put on three lots of laundry, I stopped for coffee (obviously), I made lists of things I need to sort and look-up and then I decided to write a shopping list which had a bigger effect than I'd intended.

Upon looking in cupboards to see what needed to be added to the list I inadvertently had a bit of a clear out. I decided that the first cupboard I opened needed sorting, so I pulled everything out which meant that the cupboard now needed cleaning. I then decided to put everything back differently and move things around...the knock-on effect of this was that the majority of my day was then spent emptying, cleaning and re-organising cupboards...five of them to be exact! It wasn't what I'd intended to do today but I felt very accomplished by the end of it all.

And I think this is what I am discovering now that I am no longer working. I'm not having to fit jobs in around my working hours when I didn't have the energy or the desire to do them, now I can simply do things as and when I feel like it and because I'm in the mood to do them. I can split my day into chunks of time so that I get to do a mix of things or not...I can do what I want, when I want and how I want and it is so refreshing and freeing. 

And in that vain I spent the end of my day in the garden, with a coffee, soaking up the sunshine that had been a little elusive until later this afternoon.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 841

Day 841...

Friday and the weekend have arrived but the day started with a little disappointing news. Molly and Dan were due to come home for the weekend but we woke to a message from Molly saying that Dan was not well. Stomach pains and a disturbed nights sleep...at best it's just a stomach bug and nothing worse.

Molls and Dan wanted to see how he felt later on and then travel up to us but I put my 'mum' hat on and told them 'no!'. They have a three hour car journey to get here and it was going to be a hot day so not ideal for being stuck in a car for three hours. Plus there would be nothing worse than if Dan became ill while travelling, or either of them were ill while here, or they could pass it on to us or if it turned out to be something worse then they would be stuck here. So no, sensible head on, and the decision was made to postpone until a couple of weeks time and let Dan get better.

But that didn't stop us having our early morning walk and we took our usual route of 1.9 miles in 37 minutes. It was a beautiful, clear, bright and sunny morning and was just an idyllic start to the day.

Having ventured into our garden yesterday and discovered a few plants that were getting a little overgrown I made the decision to get out and do some gardening. Despite having completed three days gardening at my dads last week I have still not fell in love with gardening, but it needed to be done. So a few bushes got chopped back where needed and some weeds removed and everywhere now looks a little tidier.

After lunch I continued with the outdoor theme as I decided to wash all the windows...thankfully our house is all on one level so it was a relatively straight forward job. It was then time for a much needed coffee in the sunshine before jumping online to record this weeks episode of the Disney Dream Girls podcast.

And at the end of the day while Simon jumped on the exercise bike I took a glass of red wine out into the garden and sat and did a little research for my next Disney themed tattoo. I need to get some ideas together so that I can get a date booked in with my tattooist of choice (Saint Heywood at Acadia Tattoo) plus I was also waiting for my brother to stop by.

The selling details for my dads house have been approved today and so it will be on the market in the next day or so. Very strange to think that the house that I grew up in and have known for almost all my life will be passing onto new owners...the end of an era.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 834

Day 834...

And we have arrived at Friday and after a particularly crap nights sleep I was a little later than normal getting up. But that didn't stop us getting out for our early morning walk completing 1.9 miles in 39 minutes and we were still home before 9am.

The weather was a little cooler this morning but it didn't stop Simon and I venturing out in t-shirts although everyone else seemed to be wrapped up with jumpers and coats! We must be getting tough in our old age!

First job of the day was a quick trip to Lidl for a few essentials. Next it was back to my dads but instead of gardening my task was to sort through all the Christmas decorations that were taking up a lot of boxes!

My brother had gone through the boxes yesterday and taken home anything he wanted. I'd already taken home what I wanted so today it was a case of going through and seeing what was left. I have a table top sale coming up in a weeks time and so most of these left over items will go up for sale then. So today I wanted to check over them all to make sure they were all in tact and in working order. By the end of the morning I'd freed up a few boxes and created a pile for the bin!

After lunch I had the afternoon to myself and for a moment I was at a loss for what to do...but it didn't last long. The afternoon was spent doing the ironing. sorting through a ton of old paperwork as I am in the middle of reorganising some cupboards and some internet research. We had discovered a medal of my grandma's from when she was a member of the St John's Ambulance and I wanted to find out a little more about it. Turns out it was a service medal that marked at least 20 years service and showed that she was a Divisional Superintendent!

At the end of a particularly busy day for Simon we decided to grab some fresh air and go out for another walk. It was a little damp to start with but by the time we arrived back at home the sun was shining and we had another 1.8 miles in 34 minutes under our belts.

And that was Friday, roll on the weekend and I'll see you later.
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 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 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 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 799...Last Day

Day 799...

And we have reached Friday...

...last day of this term...

...and last day at pre-school for me...for good!

I set off for work at the normal time armed with goodies for my team. When I arrived at work I was greeted by this attached to the front door...

Suffice to say there were more 'dodgy' photos displayed inside along with a massive banner wishing me a 'Happy Retirement'.

But the day started with me handing out some gifts of chocolate and alcohol to my team along with some cakes and strawberries and cream to keep us going throughout the day. My team knowing that 'sweet stuff' is not really my thing anymore had prepared a more keto friendly option for me...

Mmmm meats and cheeses!!!

Although there was still work to be done over the course of the day it was a much more relaxed and chilled out kind of day compared to the normal hustle and bustle.

Midway through the day the children presented me with my leaving card and gift to which I am extremely thankful to all my staff...

Card made by the children...much bigger than it looks here!!

Gorgeous Disney Couture Kingdom Junkyard Mickey necklace

And although it has been my last day at work I will be staying involved with the pre-school as chairperson on their committee. 

I started on the committee way back in 2001 when Ethan started at the pre-school. I'd volunteered as a parent helper whilst heavily pregnant with Molly and I was talking to one of the staff and happened to  mention that I used to work for a bank. Their ears pricked up and asked if I would like to take on the role of treasurer...I said 'yeah, ok, don't see why not' and the rest is history.

After a couple of years on the committee I moved into a paid role of 'administrator' before eventually joining the team as an early years practitioner in 2004. I attended evening classes to study for my level 3 childcare qualification which I'd achieved by mid 2005 and by 2008 I was manager! 

We grew from a small pre-school that opened for just 5 mornings a week to a very busy full five days a week venture. A small team of four grew to eleven at it's peak. During my tenure we have been inspected by Ofsted three times, I helped the pre-school move premises back in 2002 and then again in 2020, we've held so many fundraisers from cake sales to Christmas fairs to sponsored bounces to 'Back to School' discos, fashion shows, retail evenings and more.

And not only was this the pre-school that both Molly and Ethan attended it was also the pre-school (or playgroup as it was known) that my brother and I attended way, way back in the early 1970's. So I cannot walk away completely I will continue to support them as best I can in my new role of chairperson I just won't have to 'go to work' anymore.

So what will I be doing in my 'retirement'? Well at the moment I really don't know, but what I do know is that I am going to take my time to figure out exactly what I would like to do with my time and for a change put my wants first!

But back to today...and back home; my first task of the late afternoon was to jump online and record an episode of the Disney Dream Girls podcast for this coming weekend. 

My next task was to get out my cosplay outfit ready for Em-Con tomorrow with our fellow Star Wars geeks the East Midlands Garrison. I needed to make sure my boots were clean and comfy to wear and I needed to try on my wig to make sure I remembered how it should look. Thankfully both tasks were completed with ease - phew!

And now I think it's time I stop typing as we have the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series to start watching this evening...I think we better get it watched so that we don't get it spoiled tomorrow as we will be amongst a large contingent of other Star Wars fans!

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 792

Day 792...

Ah the end of the working week for this household.

My day was another spent at the laptop updating contact information for pre-school ahead of my impending departure this time next week. I've also had the chance to go through all of the documents that I have created over the years...the last 12 years as manager...and decide which can now be deleted. I will admit to having a habit of keeping hold of stuff 'just in case', although this has worked in my favour when wanting to go back in time and figure out events or how we handled something. But today was a day of having a cathartic clear out.

Despite the grey clouds and a few spots of rain we were still able to get out for our lunchtime walk managing yet again a couple of miles in around 39 minutes. 

The afternoon saw glimpses of sunshine but in the main it started grey and a little chillier than of late. I chanced sitting outside with a coffee later on and managed only a few minutes before the rain started...although  a couple of minutes after coming inside it stopped - typical!

And while Simon completed some zone two training on the exercise bike I wrote this blog ahead of making keto pizza.

We have a busy Saturday ahead of us so I will stop typing and see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 785

Day 785...

Oops no post today as the day has been rather busy and I have simply run out of time.

Back on it tomorrow.

xx

Day 779

Day 779...

Well this is going to be a very short and quick post as it is rather late in the day to be writing this.

But suffice to say it was another full day in work as I provided cover for a member of staff who is off at the moment whilst also assisting our new admin clerk as she takes over some of my tasks.

On the way home I dropped by to see one of my best friends as today was her birthday. A quick chance to say hello, drop off a pressie and have a little catch-up with her and her hubby.

Arriving home it was time to grab a coffee and set-up my laptop for podcast recording. Michelle and I spent about 45 minutes catching up and recording a Disney Dream Girls show ready for release this weekend where we chatted about the Disney Cruise Line and restaurants at Disneyland Paris.

And then after a dinner of keto pizza my brother dropped by to go over some papers in connection with my dads estate. We are finally able to get things moving with winding things up and moving forward.

And with that I will see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 772

Day 772...

We have reached the end of the working week and we have an extended bank holiday weekend ahead of us.

The day was spent in work and consisted of more handing over of my job role. Next week I will be working from home to see whether the information that I have passed on over these past few weeks has been successful or not. I will be 'on call' should I be needed for anything or should anyone have any questions of me but otherwise we are working steadily towards my leaving date of 27th May.

Once home it was time to grab a coffee and sit outside in the sunshine to top up my vitamin D! After a grey and chilly week today turned into quite a good weather day and it was lovely to sit outside and enjoy it.

I had a little paperwork to complete relating to my dad's ashes. My brother is able to collect the ashes next week and we are then arranging for them to be scattered at the same crematorium, and in the same area, as my mum. But as with everything in life paperwork was needed!

I rounded out the day with a little jigsaw time before making keto pizza for dinner and then settling down to watch some rubbish on TV!

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 765

Day 765...

And we have reached Friday and the day started with an unplanned trip to Lidl. Slightly annoyingly as I'd only been there yesterday but was necessary as when I looked in the fridge this morning the ingredients that I thought I had it turned out I didn't - oops!

This did mean that I was also able to replenish my wine supply as well as make some choice purchases of items that I know I will need and have discovered are way cheaper than Asda. I have my Asda collection slot booked in for Sunday but the way things are going at the moment Lidl are getting more and more of my custom.

Next I had a couple of presents to wrap for Molly. As she will be 21 in a few weeks we decided to get her a couple of things that she has been after to help with her Shutter Studios business venture; a new colour printer and a Cricut. Thankfully I had just enough wrapping paper for them both as they were on the bulky side and successfully avoided having to use Christmas wrapping paper!

I had a quick clean and tidy around before dismantling all the cardboard boxes that we seemed to have accumulated over the last few days, just managing to squeeze them into our recycling rubbish. And as it was then lunchtime we headed out on a walk in the sunshine and the wind; we managed a hilly 2 miles in 41 minutes.

The afternoon saw me battle the joys of transferring pre-school's mobile phone over from one network to another that is significantly cheaper. But because I've done it on a Friday (no choice because it took three days for the new sim card to be delivered) the number likely won't be transferred over till Monday because it can only happen on 'working days'. You'd think an automated system would be able to work anytime?!!

I then managed a little jigsaw time before welcoming Molly and Dan home for the weekend. As we will be having the wake for my dad on Monday Molls has travelled home to  join us and she gets to christen the new sofa bed...study...arts room that used to be her bedroom!

The day was rounded out with the making of keto pizza...hence the trip to Lidl this morninh when I realised I didn't have enough mozzarella cheese!

OK I think it is time to eat the above mentioned pizza, drink a little red wine and put my feet up! See you tomorrow.

xx

Day 758

Day 758...

It has been Good Friday today and in this house it has been DIY Friday.

First thing we had to pop out to collect this week's Asda grocery shopping but once we were home and the shopping put away we spent the rest of the day upstairs in Molly's old room as we continued with our efforts to re-vamp the room.

We had decided that as Molly had moved out to live with Dan that we would make best use of her old room. We still want to be able to use it as a guest room but we also wanted to create a space that Simon and I could use for whatever craft or art activities arose.

After much deliberating we have used Ikea kitchen cabinets and worktops to create an expansive work area while at the same time having enough space for a bed when needed. Over the last couple of weekends we'd been able to purchase and assemble the cabinets but today it was all about putting everything together.

The cabinets all needed the end panels fitting which we'd already cut to size so they just needed fixing into place. We then needed to get the worktop roughly into place and make sure that the join Simon had expertly cut fitted together which it did beautifully. Next the join was glued into place and then special fixing bolts that Simon had pre-drilled were slotted in to secure the two sections together.

With that all done we stood back to decide on the next thing to do and in doing so we realised that the rather large unit that we were creating would block a couple of power sockets that we would need to use. We knew we need a couple of extension leads and after a quick search online we jumped in the car and went to our local B&Q to pick up a couple of leads.

Back home and with extension leads in place it was now time to fix the worktop to the cabinets. This was a precision exercise to ensure each cabinet was lined up just right with the worktop. Once each cabinet was in place we could then secure it to the worktop with screws; although this did mean Simon battling with awkward spaces and multiple shelves which had to be removed so that he could reach where he needed. There was a little swearing, a lot of sweat, some contorting and even some giggles before everything was attached and secure. It was then time to move our new, and rather large and heavy, workspace into place before attaching the handles and voila it was done...

...and still enough room for a sofa bed for when we have guests stay over.

And before we knew it the day was done! Next it will be time to fill the cupboards and decide how we want to accessorise the room...I think there maybe a little Disney involved somewhere!!

See you tomorrow.

xx