Day 892 & Day 893

Day 892...Sunday

We had a lovely evening out at our friends anniversary party yesterday...

We don't scrub up too bad!

...and it was great to be able to catch up with people we hadn't seen for way too long!

So, after a slow start to the day we set off on a shortish early morning walk of just 1.8 miles in 36 minutes and stopping to pick blackberries along the way.

We then decided that today would be all about catching up with a few things on our joint 'to do list'. First it was a trip to Lidl simply because we were running out of too many things and I couldn't put it off any longer.

After lunch we got our tattoo ideas finalised into one document that I could then send over to my tattooist. When we see him in a couple of weeks I have two tattoos that I would like doing and Simon also has one planned, so we just needed to commit to what we both wanted. Over the course of the day we have had the 3D printer working hard printing more sections of the model that we are working on which has meant some more clean up of finished prints along with a little 3D modelling work for Simon.

Mid-afternoon we decided to escape the four walls and go out for coffee; a chance to chat and re-connect without distractions.

Back home and I was able to complete my latest jigsaw...

...and Simon was able to make a start on his next piece of digital art.

That was pretty much it for Sunday; a quiet and chilled out sort of day.

Day 893...Monday

Today was a bank holiday which meant that Ethan had the day off from work along with Simon's usual Monday off.

We decided that we would get up and head into Nottingham for a wander and a poke around the shops. So rather than our morning walk over the fields we instead had an urban stroll which ultimately led us to Caffe Nero for coffee. We did cut our walk a little short as it tried to rain at one point and we had no umbrellas or jackets with us, this just meant we got to have coffee sooner.

Around lunchtime we had our first meal of the day which was burgers from Five Guys; as I've previously talked about Five Guys is a great choice for anyone following a keto or low carb lifestyle as you are able to order the burgers without buns. Double bacon cheeseburger with green peppers and mushrooms for me!

Although we had popped into a few shops we came back empty handed as there was nothing that really caught our eyes. But it was simply just nice to be out and about and taking in the sights and sounds of the city.

The remainder of the day saw Simon add the two pieces of R2D2 that he's been working on over the last few weeks. A couple of arms that were missing from behind a couple of the panel doors. They were a little tricky to put into place so I was needed to assist and hold things! I was also able to clean up some more 3D prints...I think I'm getting quite adept at it now! And our new printer is proving to be very reliable and is generating solid prints each time, a definite worth while investment in replacement of the old printer which was slower, smaller and would often run into hiccups!

And to finish off the day we headed down the gym for our first workout of the week. I'm trying to be mindful of my left shoulder and avoid any moves which seem to aggravate it, not sure what I've done to it but I think it just needs some rest before I try and do too much with it. Time will tell!

See you all tomorrow all being well.

xx

 

Day 886

Day 886...

Before we headed out on our early morning walk Simon spent a little time setting up the 3D printer. He had the print from overnight to remove, which is always a bit of a tricky job, and then the next print to set going as this was going to take most of the day. 

We had a bit of a longer walk this morning managing 3.3 miles in 1 hour and 11 minutes which was a bit of a slower pace due to the picking of blackberries. I think this is the third week we have been able to pick berries when out on our walk and we filled a tub that resulted in 600g of blackberries for the freezer.

Next on the agenda was a trip out to Ikea which we did with a short stop by our local recycling centre as we had a few items that we needed to get rid of. At Ikea we purchased some new everyday cups, three new saucepans and a couple of drawer organiser inserts.

Whilst at the retail park we decided to pop into the sports store Decathlon for no other reason than to just have a look around. As it was we found a couple of 5kg bar weights that will not only work for the bar but will also work as an alternate to my dumbbells. I already use a couple of 5kg dumbbells but find them awkward to hold for a couple of exercises but these new weights are shaped like a steering wheel and will be much easier for me to move about.

New weights, working out this evening

We arrived home and it was time for our first meal of the day...our lunch/brunch or whatever we want to call it and we were both more than ready for it today. Some days the hunger just gets to you!

Then for some reason my mood was just 'off' this afternoon, I didn't know what to do with myself and so we put on some random daft TV programme. I even attempted my jigsaw but couldn't lose myself in it like I would normally. So we decided that we would head down the gym and for me it was an arm and shoulders work out tonight.

Over the course of the day Simon has had great success with not only successful 3D prints but also completing his latest piece of digital art. The only downside he discovered was that he'd painted the details on the wrong piece of his recent R2D2 prints. He'd diligently and carefully added painted detail over the course of the weekend and then this evening realised that out of the two very similar looking pieces he had printed he'd painted the wrong one. Hopefully he will be able to sand back the paint and recover both pieces; just a tad annoying as it was a very slow and precise painting process that he will now have to repeat.

And with that I will see you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 879

Day 879...

Our early morning walk this morning whilst still early, we set off about 8.20am, was a little slower than normal. We completed a circuit of 3.4 miles in one hour and 27 minutes due to frequent stops to pick blackberries!

We brought home another tubful and now have three more bags of berries in the freezer.

We then popped out for a quick shop at Lidl not only to pick up some fresh salad but to see if we could track down some sparkling water as it is proving rather elusive at the moment. We did manage to get some but only in the small bottles and we were only allowed to buy one pack of 12...well as there was two of us that meant we came out with two packs as we bought each one separately!

Back home and in a change to a normal Monday Simon logged into work. As the game he is currently working on was just announced last Friday (Wreckreation), and will be on the show floor at Gamescom in Germany in just over a weeks time, the team are working extra hours to ensure that everything is ready and working as best as it can.

My time was split between a few odd jobs around the house, a little reading time, some online bits and pieces and plenty of cups of coffee - decaf of course!

And despite the forecast of rain we have had hardly any today which left the air feeling rather rather close and 'muggy', but it didn't stop us getting down the gym. Another arms and shoulder workout for me tonight.

See you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 872

Day 872...

Monday has rolled around and it was a beautiful morning with clear blue skies and warm sunshine as we set off on our early morning walk armed with a Tupperware tub! Yep you read that correctly as today we were on a mission to pick some blackberries. We took a steady one hour and seven minutes to complete 3.4 miles and by the end we had a tub full with berries.

While I got myself ready for going out Simon was able to apply some varnish to the 3D printed pieces that he'd airbrushed yesterday. He's also done a little more work on a model that he's currently building as well.

We then jumped in the car and headed just a few miles up the motorway to the McArthur Glen Designer Outlet mall. It had been a while since we'd last visited here and we just thought it would be somewhere different to have a look around with no specific reason for going.

Because we have now adopted an intermittent fasting approach to our meals we no longer eat first thing in a morning instead we have our first meal of the day around a traditional lunch time of the day. So as that time of day approached we decided to 'break our fast' with burgers! One benefit of eating low carb/keto for these past 8 years is that we have moved away from the traditional breakfast type foods and therefore making our first meal of the day burgers is perfect for us and Five Guys is great for anyone who eats like we do. We were able to order bacon cheeseburgers with whatever toppings we wanted (I go simple with mushrooms, green peppers and mayo) but without the bun. You can opt to have your burger in a lettuce 'bun' or, like us, simply in a tray. Great way to break our fast and this was followed by a 200 Degrees coffee, which is always a great cup of coffee.

On our wander around we decided to pick up a pair of Converse Hi-tops for Ethan as he'd mentioned getting a pair and these were too good a price to pass up. We also came away with some bargains from Superdry as not only were all their prices discounted to 'outlet' prices but they had another 20% off on top. This meant we came away with three t-shirts for Ethan and a pair of short denim dungarees for me all for under £50! 

Back home and we decided to make the most of the remainder of the afternoon by 'going down our gym' and throwing some weights around. Simon is making great progress at getting back to where he was before he broke his wrist and was able to lift some heavier weights again today. He even had me proper bench pressing at one point and I was quite pleased that after a first set of just the bar I was able to add 5kg to it and complete a full set of 10 with relative ease. I might need to keep at this one and see just what I can manage, I might surprise myself!

And then to finish out the day I managed my first three minute cold shower!!

See you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 865 & Day 866

Day 865...Monday

Our day started off as normal with our early morning walk and because neither of us are working on a Monday we took a slightly longer 2.4 miles in 46 minutes. It was a lovely start to the day and along our way we even managed to stop and pick some blackberries, as the fields where we walk seem inundated with bushes.

After our walk we were straight back out the door to go and collect the grocery shop. I am trying to keep this bigger shop to once every two weeks or more and use it to stock up on the bulkier items so that in between I can take advantage of my local Lidl for better prices and better quality fresh food.

With all the shopping organised and put away we opted for an early lunch/late breakfast before heading off into Nottingham for the afternoon. This past weekend had not been one of my better ones; my mood was off and I just generally didn't know what to do with myself and so we decided that today we needed to get out of the house for a few hours.

And it was the best thing that we could have done as not only did we get to have a lovely walk in the sunshine around Nottingham but we also got time to spend together. We stopped for coffee at our usual branch of Caffe Nero and the barista there always remembers us and always takes the time to chat which is lovely and as a bonus he always gives us extra 'stamps' on our loyalty app!

I think that the adjustment for me to being 'retired' is probably having a bigger effect on me than I perhaps envisioned...maybe bigger is not the right word, perhaps it should be different. Tuesday to Friday while Simon is working I find that I am occupied predominantly with jobs around the house along with some bigger tasks relating to sorting my dads house and going through both our photos and my dads to get them digitised. I also have the time to do tasks that previously would have had to have been done on an evening or at a weekend. So when we reach our three day weekend I can find myself in a bit of a quandary as to what to do with the time. I'm very aware that the weekend is 'down time' for Simon and that he has things that he wants to do because he doesn't have the time during the remainder of the week so we kind of reach an impasse. 

I want to give Simon the time to do what he wants to do but at the same time I'm unsure as to what I can be doing as I've now done all the 'stuff' during the week and for some reason even though I could carry on with certain tasks I've convinced myself those are 'week day tasks' and not for the weekend! Argh! I've been so used to the make-up of a week being split between work and down time and those lines are now blurred and getting used to that is, it would appear, having a greater impact on me than I sometimes realise.

And then throw into the mix that I am terrible at doing anything 'just for me' and always want to make sure everyone else is doing what they want that I end up either not doing anything or feeling resentful that others have things to do and I don't. Which I know is my own doing and so we go round and round in circles. So not only do I have to realise that doing things for me and me alone is perfectly okay but that everyone else will be perfectly fine!

So as you can probably gather Simon and I had some big conversations this afternoon in an effort to get me out of my own head and recognising that I can do what I want, when I want and how I want and that I am not answerable to anyone for that but me. I think there is also a pressure I perceive that everyone on hearing that I am retired expects me to have 'a plan', that I am off doing something amazing or that I must be wanting a new job or new direction. When actually at the moment all I want is to be home, spend time with Simon and enjoy not having the pressures of work...and yet I somehow feel guilty for wanting those things!

Anyway after a few hours drinking coffee and poking around shops, with nothing bought,we headed home. 

Today I finally received a letter from the solicitors advising that probate has been granted following my dads death and that we can start to move forward on settling the estate. We still have the house to sell but there are other items that can now be distributed. Although it does make me laugh that the solicitors still insist on using typed letters and the postal system when surely email would speed up the whole process. I make a point of always responding to a letter by email! And don't get me started on their apparent reluctance to use bank transfers as a means of moving money around as they prefer to use cheques!! Really?!!

And although it was a little late in the day we decided to have a gym session...we said we would just have a short thirty minutes or so...an hour later we were done! While Simon took the opportunity of being in the garage to take his most recent 3D prints and fill where needed (stinky process involving car body filler!) I grabbed a shower and managed my second two minute cold shower of the day. I then re-set my timer so that tomorrow I'll be on two minutes and thirty seconds.

Day 866

Well the morning was grey but warm and we headed out for our early morning walk of 1.9 miles in 37 minutes, although we did get a little wet about half way round. Despite the weather app on my phone saying there was only a 12% chance of rain we got rained on, and at one point it started to come down quite heavy but we had no umbrella with us and no rain coats. Thankfully it only lasted a few minutes before it eased and stopped completely and by the time we got home our clothes were dry.

My day today has been one of getting a few jobs done around the house; laundry, cleaning, emails etc. We are trading in our old Kindle for a newer version and have taken advantage of Amazon's trade in offerings and so today I was able to package up the old one and drop it off at a UPS collection point. Not only will we get a little cash for the old one but we will also get 20% off a new one - win, win! 

I've also done a little internet surfing ahead of podcast recording tomorrow as I think Michelle and I will be looking forward to some Halloween themed foodie treats coming to Walt Disney World. And as they start their Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Parties in mid-August those items will be available rather soon and if you ask me a little too early for celebrating Halloween!

Towards the end of the afternoon I found a little time to make a start on sorting pieces for my latest jigsaw before I headed down the gym for another workout. A gentler workout this evening with the focus on body weight exercises and as it was quite a warm and muggy evening it was about all I could manage. It did mean that a shower was necessary once I'd finished and this did mean my second cold shower of the day and my second two minutes and thirty seconds!

And with that I will see you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 858

Day 858...

The beginning of the week and it was back to work for Ethan today. We headed out on our walk just after 8.15am and took a slightly longer route tallying up 2.9 miles in 54 minutes, and for some reason today it felt hard going. Although according to the stats on my activity tracker everything was pretty much as normal.

We'd not been back home long when Simon received a message from work. Now Mondays are ordinarily a non-work day for Simon but because they have a deadline approaching he was contacted to see if he could do some work today. Some much needed fixes to the software had been put in over the weekend which meant the work Simon hadn't been able to complete on Friday could now be done. It also meant that the only way the fixes could be tested was for Simon to logon and see whether or not he could now complete his outstanding tasks.

We weren't sure how much work Simon would be required to do and so as a result the remainder of the day was rather quiet as we didn't really know how it was going to pan out. As it was Simon ended up working for pretty much the rest of the day and didn't finish until about 5pm. It did mean that my day was kind of held in limbo as I didn't want to start anything in case Simon came free and we could do something together. 

I did manage to sort through my jewellery as I had a couple of pieces of my mum's that I'd found when clearing my dads house that needed a new home. I also had a few old pieces of cheap stuff that I no longer wear and so they were thrown out. I also discovered an old Disney bracelet that was broken; it was made up of Mickey head shaped pieces and the string had simply deteriorated leaving just a pile of Mickey heads - oops!

When Simon did get away from work we were both feeling pretty low and rather lack-lustre so we decided we needed to do something to get us going again; so we headed down our gym. Simon was able to do so much more today than he has the last couple of times and his wrist is obviously getting stronger. He still has a little swelling and hasn't quite got a full range of movement but he is getting there. And after a decent workout we were both feeling a little more awake and purposeful.

But I shall leave it there and see you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 851, Day 852 & Day 853

After an unusually hot few days I am back at my laptop and ready to bring you up to date.

Yes, it has been hot but a little common sense goes a long way to making life comfortable. The problem here in the UK is that we don't get these really high temperatures that often and as a result we are poorly equipped to cope with them. Homes do not have air-con as in other parts of the world and so we have no real means of escaping the heat, plus we tend to have a very dry and oppressive heat with very little air flow that can be quite stifling. And then factor in our 'British' fascination with the weather and you have the perfect 'storm' for a little drama!

But it did mean that as my laptop is situated in one of the hottest rooms in our house I decided that blogging could wait for a day or so.

Day 851...Monday

We were still up and about early Monday morning to take a steady 1.9 miles in 37 minutes; it was absolutely gorgeous to be out in the warmth and we were glad we got out when it wasn't at the peak temperature for the day. 

We did have one job to do and that was to fetch the grocery shopping from Asda and we were thankful that the car had air conditioning.

After that we stayed home and tried to keep as cool as we could. Simon spent the remainder of the day drawing and 3D printing various bits and pieces while I started a jigsaw. And because we did little else I made a good amount of progress in just one day...

Day 852...Tuesday

And despite today being even hotter than yesterday we still went out for our early morning walk and still managed 1.9 miles but in a slightly slower 39 minutes. And unusually we saw no-one else while we were out!

My day then consisted of very little which basically translated as making great progress with my jigsaw! By the middle of the day progress was looking good...

Simon was back at work and in his small 'office' area was recording temperatures of 34.5C!!

But early afternoon I had to venture out of the house as I'd agreed to volunteer at pre-school to help out with their 'end of year party'. Thankfully I keep my car in the garage so it was lovely and cool to get in and the air conditioning kept it cool while driving. Arriving at pre-school I was able to find a parking spot in the shade which meant that getting back into the car an hour and a half later wasn't as bad as what I was anticipating it to be. But the temperature on my car did say 41C!!!

And despite the heat Simon and I managed a weights workout down our gym; now our gym is the garage so it was cooler in there than the house. Simon was desperate to get back to his weight workouts following the removal of his cast for his broken wrist last week and so wasn't going to let a bit of heat stop him. I was pleasantly surprised by what I managed to get done and Simon behaved himself and stuck to the very lowest of weights but still managed a decent all round workout.

Oh and I did manage to get a little more jigsaw completed...

Day 853...Wednesday

Wow, last night was another hot night and although the temperature this morning was significantly lower than the last couple of days it still meant that the night had been rather hot and sticky. But with the temperature around 20C we got out and managed our 1.9 miles in a pretty quick 36 minutes.

And while Simon got on with work I grabbed Ethan for a trip to Lidl. Now Ethan is on holiday all this week (boy did he pick a good week to be off!) so I could make good use of him to lend me a hand plus as he is now getting into the habit of taking a packed lunch to work I wanted him to pick a few things out so that I know what to buy for him in the future.

The rest of my day has been a 'lap-top catch-up' kind of day. All the things that I wanted to do over the last few days that I'd put off because it'd been to warm to sit at my laptop but now needed to be done. Some boring stuff like sorting out house insurance and placing a butchers order but also cool things like ordering tickets to go see one of our favourite bands 'She Wants Revenge' when they play Birmingham in September. We last saw them in 2019 in London and were convinced that we wouldn't get chance to see them again as they are a band that go through periods of not performing or recording so when I saw on Instagram that they'd added some UK dates after playing in the US over the summer it was a no brainer to get tickets booked, and booked they are.

And my day was rounded out with a little podcast recording with my good friend, and co-host, Michelle. We recorded a Disney Dream Girls show for release this Sunday as well as a special bonus show for our Patreon supporters.

A much cooler evening is now upon us, with even a chance of rain...let's see what tomorrow shall bring!
xx

Day 844 & Day 845

Day 844...Monday

It was another gorgeous morning and as it was Simon's non-working day of the week we took a slightly longer early morning walk of 3.6 miles in 1 hour and 13 minutes. It was surprisingly hot for an 8am walk!

And because it was still relatively cool compared to the forecasted high for the day we popped out to Lidl to pick up some fresh bits and pieces. We also got to meet our neighbours new Labrador puppy although it was from a distance as he hasn't had all his injections yet. He will eventually become a guide dog for the blind as our neighbours are part of a programme that trains the dogs ready for their prospective owners. But whilst they are puppies and are too young to be trained they still need to be looked after and that's where our neighbours step into the picture. They will have him for about a year before he leaves for his guide dog training, although I'm not sure I could do it as I would worry he'd be too cute to give up!

After lunch and in the need for an activity that would involve somewhere cool we decided to head off to the cinema. So into Derby we went to one of our favourite smaller cinemas, The Quad, to watch Thor Love and Thunder.  We had the cinema to ourselves, it was lovely and cool and we enjoyed a couple of hours of Marvel movie madness!

Day 845...Tuesday

Although it was still pretty warm first thing this morning it was rather cloudy which meant it was cooler than, and a nice relief from, the heat of yesterday.

We still started the day with an early morning walk but it was a much shorter and quicker 1.9 miles in 37 minutes and we were back home for 8.35am. This gave me just enough time to grab a few slurps of coffee and a change of shoes before I headed out the door.

I needed to be at my dads for 9am as I had an auctioneer visiting to advise about clearing the house and whether any of the items we have are worth putting to auction. I was there for 8.55am and realised I'd left my phone at home - doh! Thankfully it's less than a mile between home and my dads so I was able to dash home, get my phone and be back at my dads for 9.03am!!

It looks like all the contents of my dads house will be left for me to either sell on or dispose of myself. While there maybe some value to some of the items that we have, the auctioneer was very honest and advised against using their services as it really would not be worth our while by the time we've paid their costs and commission. So it looks like I will be getting familiar with Ebay and Facebook Marketplace once more! 

Whilst I was at my dads the estate agent stopped by to collect a set of keys so that he can start showing the house, in fact we have two viewings already booked in for tomorrow evening!

Mid-morning and I was back home and armed with a coffee it was time for some more internet research as I begin to prepare myself for selling stuff online. I also have a couple of places in mind for where I might be able to sell on some of the larger items and collections.

After lunch it was time to take Simon back to Derby hospital to see if the cast on his arm was ready to come off. Suffice to say we have two functioning arms once more, although he still needs to take it steady while his left arm heals - so no lifting heavy weights for a few weeks yet. He should hopefully hear from a physio so that he can make a quick and speedy recovery. 

The remainder of the afternoon was spent catching up on a few little tasks while I drank coffee outside; taking advantage of a lovely warm afternoon but with no real sunshine as it was still relatively cloudy...we even had a few spots of rain at times. One of my jobs was to get in touch with my tattooist, Saint Heywood, with the ideas that I have for my next lot of ink and send him over some reference material. Fingers crossed he can fit me in soon as it's almost a year since my last tattoo!

As Simon worked a little later than normal, to make up for the time spent out at the hospital this afternoon, and the weather was rather oppressively warm we opted to forgo our Tuesday workout. Simon needs to still be careful with his wrist and isn't allowed to be lifting heavy things for the next few weeks so we are still going to have to find alternatives to our usual workout sessions. But not to worry we will still be able to get out for our early morning walks and at least the weather should be a little cooler then as the forecast for the next few days is looking rather hot!

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 837 & Day 838

Day 837...Monday

The day started with our usual early morning walk and today it was one of our slightly longer routes at 2.4 miles in 46 minutes. It was overcast and a little chillier than it looked but we braved it in t-shirts and shorts!

I had an online doctors appointment mid-morning as I try to look at ways to improve my menopause symptoms. It's a tricky one as the obvious answer is to increase my estrogen levels but with my history of breast cancer it's not a good option for me. We are trying one lot of medication and are going to give them a little longer to see whether they can help at all.

We then had an early lunch/late breakfast before setting about a few jobs. We had to stop by my dads house to bring the bins out ready for collection and then I needed to pay a cheque in at my bank. I have to use the ATM and unfortunately the one I chose was 'out of service' so that will have to be a job for another day. As we were out and about we decided to grab a Starbucks before heading home for an afternoon of 'sorting'.

Simon has now managed to update his laptop and install it next to his 3D printer as he would like to start printing again soon and has a couple of Star Wars themed builds in mind. I was able to complete the ongoing relocating of paperwork and the mountain of shredding. As it was our recycling bin collection this week I wanted to take full advantage and get rid of all the unneeded paper I'd discovered.

My day was rounded out with a little social media interaction as I set up some tweets on behalf of the Disney Dream Girls podcast.

Day 838...Tuesday

And another morning and another walk of 1.9 miles in 37 minutes. Slightly shorter walk today to ensure that Simon was back home in time for starting work.

My first job of the day was a shopping trip to Lidl - whoop! Followed by yet more sorting and tidying; having moved things from one room to another I am now in the process of making sure everything is in the right places. This inevitably meant that I found more stuff to sort, move and re-organise but as Molly and Dan will be home this coming weekend and will be using our new study/craft room as our guest bedroom I really needed to get on top of things.

After lunch I was at my dads house once more as the estate agents were visiting to take photos and video of the house. They even took video for Tik Tok as well as their YouTube channel! A bit different to when I last sold a house...which to be fair was over 20 years ago!

I then made use of a very pleasant and sunny afternoon by soaking up some vitamin D while I had a coffee and summoned up the energy to get on with yet more tidying! But by the end of the afternoon everything was looking a lot better, although everywhere now needs a good clean!!

We then decided that the evening was too nice to miss and we headed out for our second walk of the day, taking 53 minutes to complete 2.8 miles.

And with that it's time to watch the last couple of episodes of The Umbrella Academy...see you tomorrow.
xx

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 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 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 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 802

Day 802...

Going to be a quick one today!

It has been a day of catching up on a few odds and sods and an afternoon trip over to Birmingham.

But the main news of today was that we woke up to the announcement that Star Wars Celebration for 2023 will be held in London next April.

It was Celebration in 2016 that got Simon and I into the whole Star Wars cosplay thing. Back in 2015 we heard about something called Celebration and as it coincided with Simon's 50th birthday year I suggested we give it a try. After tickets had been bought Simon the brought up the idea of attending in cosplay...to which I said that providing I didn't have to wear the infamous Princess Leia bikini I'd be happy to join in with the fun.

Then followed a year of building two Mandalorian sets of armour and becoming official members of the Mandalorian Mercs costuming club. We then booked our hotel and attended as members of the Mercs helping out with various activities along the way.

Since then we have added my Governor Pryce and Simon's Stormtrooper to our cosplay wardrobe and joined two more costuming groups - Joker Squad and East Midlands Garrison.

So on learning that Celebration would be happening in London in April 2023 we set about booking a hotel. Suffice to say hotel rooms were scarce as every Star Wars fan out there seemed to have snapped rooms up as soon as the dates had been announced!

Now the announcement came at just after midnight, UK time, and so consequently we did not hear about it until about 8am this morning. In those intervening few hours not only had hotel rooms been snapped up but the prices of remaining rooms had risen considerably, plus add into the equation that the event is happening over the Easter weekend when prices would naturally be higher anyway! But we managed to find a room within a ten minute walk of the Excel arena where Celebration will be taking place...not a cheap room...but it's a room in the location we wanted and so we decided to book it anyway. We were able to book without a deposit and with free cancellation up until the day before...this means that should something cheaper become available we would be able to re-book! But for now we have a room...next is to wait and see what the actual ticket prices are going to be, but we won't know that for a little while yet.

And with that excitement I will see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 795

Day 795...

Monday...our non-working day of the 'working week', and the start of my last week at pre-school.

Around 9am I had a phone call from my deputy manager who called to let me know of a change of plans. Tonight was supposed to be my 'leaving doo'; nothing fancy just a meal out at a local Indian restuarant but due to circumstances outside of my control that was now not happening.

One of my team had been ill over the weekend and so wasn't in work and therefore could not make the meal tonight. Another colleague had pressures in her personal life that simply meant she wasn't in the right frame of mind for having a night out. So with a third of the staff unavailable (we are only a team of seven) it was decided to cancel tonight and to rearrange for a couple of weeks time when hopefully everyone will be fit and well.

We then decided to make the best of the day and take a walk out over the fields to a local cafe called The Cowshed. It's just over two miles which we managed in about 48 minutes and after a lovely coffee we headed back. A slightly different route of 2.5 miles in 52 minutes, so plenty of steps and exercise achieved this morning; almost 50 minutes of fat burning, apparently!!

Once home we were straight back out the door to stop by my dads house in the hope of seeing my brother. Glen and his family have worked hard over the last couple of weeks to clear the house of any obvious 'rubbish' and had managed to fill a skip. Today the skip was being collected and so Glen was working from there while waiting for it to be collected.

Glen was able to take me through what they have managed to do and we discussed what needs doing next. There are quite a lot of things that need new homes and I think one of my jobs over the next couple of weeks will be to catalogue what's there so we can have a better idea of what to do with it all!

Although today we did manage to bring home all my mum and dad's photo albums; there are lots to go through but my aim is to get them all digitised so that we will be able to enjoy them so much more easily. It will also mean that anyone else in the family can also have copies should they so wish.

Back home and we decided to give our Star Wars cosplay a complete try on ahead of trooping this coming weekend. Simon's stormtrooper kit fitted perfectly and it was good to have a run through to remind us of the order that it all has to go on in. I will be going as Governor Pryce from the animated TV series Rebels and thankfully I too was able to get into my imperial officer uniform although I am in desperate need of some new trousers. They have never been the most comfortable of fits (let's just say a high waist without enough length!) so I really ought to figure out a way to get a better pair.

I also took the time to go over my make-up as it is over two years since I last applied it. Thankfully I still have all the relevant colours needed and so was able to gather everything together so that I am prepared for the weekend.

And with that I will see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 788

Day 788...

A very quick and short post as it is late in the day.

But today was Simon's birthday and it was a very lovely day of presents, coffee, walks, talking, coffee and more  coffee.

I shall see you tomorrow.

xx

Day 782...final goodbye

Day 782...

Well the start of the working week and our usual Monday 'off' but it was not a normal Monday for us.

The day started off as normal and the morning was spent wrapping presents for a couple of upcoming birthdays, organising the posting of some of the aforementioned pressies, finishing off a letter to the solicitors, buying some new pillows and placing an order with our online butchers of choice!

My brother, Glen, and his wife then arrived and we all jumped in his car to head over to our local crematorium as today was the day we were to scatter my dad's ashes. The only stipulation that my dad had left with us was for him to be scattered in the 'garden of remembrance' which were the same wishes as laid out in my mum's will. 

Glen had collected my dad's ashes following his cremation last week and today was the final part in saying goodbye to him. The crematorium were able to tell us where our mum had been scattered seven years ago so that we could scatter my dad in the same place. The staff were lovely and transferred my dad's ashes into a nicer, and easier to handle, receptacle. We were then left to scatter them as we saw fit. I let Glen do the scattering and we walked the length of the designated area and spoke about my dad, and my mum, and said our goodbyes. It was much more emotional than I think I had anticipated for all of us; tears and hugs all round.

My dad will now be with the love of his life; he had missed my mum terribly over the past seven years and had never really gotten over her passing. They had been together since their late teenage years and my dad had struggled to function without her there by his side. We can only take solace in the fact that they are together once more.

We then took the time to enjoy a coffee and cake at a local cafe before heading home. Glen and I had some paperwork to go over and collate and later I was able to stop by the solicitors office with it all so hopefully we can make progress with sorting out my dad's estate. With that done and my parcel posted it was back home for the remainder of the day.

It has been an odd sort of day and much more emotional than I'd been anticipating. The last few weeks have at times been a whirlwind and I think I underestimate how much this has all been affecting me. An we still have the outcome of the coroners inquest to deal with but that will be a few months away yet.

So Monday done and I'll see you tomorrow,
xx

Day 775

Day 775...

Well today has been a bank holiday Monday and for some reason it has felt more like a Sunday!

I think because Simon and I don't work Mondays ordinarily we just take a Monday as it comes but because Ethan was around today as he was off work I think it threw us off our routine!

But after a very slow and steady start to the day and despite the grey, and at times rather ominous looking, clouds we decided to set about a walk in the countryside. It was a little chillier than I would have liked and we set off armed with umbrellas just in case the weather turned on us. But off we went and 2.3 miles later in a time of 49 minutes we arrived at our destination of choice a local cafe called The Cowshed. We refreshed ourselves with a coffee before meandering back home in a slightly faster time of 48 minutes!

By then it was mid-afternoon and we had a few odd jobs to do around the house. There was a little touch-up of paintwork needed where we'd installed two new wall lights a couple of days ago. I then decided that I'd better get the ironing done as my plans for this coming week have gone a little sideways and I realised that the time that I thought I would have had during the week I no longer had - if that makes sense?! Suffice to say I should have been working from home this coming week but due to unfortunate circumstances I will now be in work.

We got a message from Molly to let us know that one of their neighbours had passed away. Dan had been quite close to him as he would often help Dan out around the house and had kind of taken Dan under his wing. Such a shame and so sad to hear that he'd lost his battle with cancer. Not sure what's happening at the moment as we seem to have experienced too many deaths around us in a very short space of time.

The day was rounded out with a little online retail shopping as I have a number of birthdays coming up this month...I have a few very good friends as well as both Simon and Molly's birthdays to sort!

See you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 768 - Saying Goodbye to Dad

Day 768...

So today we said goodbye to my dad.

We had decided against a formal funeral and instead opted for a gathering of friends and family in his favourite pub to bid him farewell. 

We had a couple of digital photo frames set up with photos of him, and my late mum, going back to the 1960's and it was lovely to share those memories.

We spent all afternoon and into the early evening in the pub. Everyone was so lovely and had nothing but good things to say about my dad. And it was great to talk and reminisce and reconnect with people that I'd not seen for a fair few years. It was also great to spend time with my brother and hopefully moving forward we will get to rekindle our relationship.

Till tomorrow.

xx

Day 761

Day 761...

The last day of the Easter weekend today as we have had a bank holiday Monday, and it has been a very quiet and chilled out sort of day.

We had no plans for the day and so it was nice just to get up when we felt like it and take a very steady approach to the day.

One small job this morning was to take the wall clock that Molly and Ethan had bought me for Mother's Day and change its colour. It's a Mickey Mouse clock and the outside is shaped like Mickey ears but when we looked at it in daylight what we thought were black ears were actually a dark navy colour. But that wasn't a problem for Simon, a little sanding of the surface yesterday meant that they were ready for some new paint today and of course we just happen to have black spray paint to hand! A couple of coats later and they are looking fantastic. We are leaving them over night before applying a coat of matt varnish to them tomorrow.

Early afternoon we decided to make the most of the dry, and slightly warm, day to go out for a walk. We took one of our longer strolls managing just over 5 miles in a steady one hour and forty minutes.

Back home and we had a little online birthday shopping to complete as Molly will be turning 21 in a few weeks time and we wanted to make sure we could get what we wanted and get it on time. Simon then spent the remainder of the day completing his latest piece of digital art while I made a start on my next jigsaw.

All in all a very relaxed day to round out the extended weekend.

See you tomorrow.
xx