Day 887 & Day 888

Today we have two days for the price of one...

Day 887...Tuesday

As Simon was back at work we resumed our shorter early morning walk and did our usual route of 1.9 miles in 37 minutes. My legs definitely felt it for some reason this morning and I was not loving the fact that this route is a tad on the hilly side.

My morning was spent catching up on a few jobs around the house, some cleaning, ironing and bits. I even managed to squeeze in a little jigsaw time before lunch.

After lunch I headed out to meet up with a friend for coffee at a local garden centre which has a lovely cafe called PipTree. It was very busy but we were able to grab a table outside and despite the very grey clouds it was lovely and warm and stayed dry. As a treat we both indulged in a cream tea which is one of my favourite guilty pleasures...although I'm not sure my stomach agrees with me one hundred percent. The effect of adopting a low carb/keto way of eating can sometimes mean that those indulgences don't always still as well digestively speaking as they perhaps once did. A combination of sugars and especially grains can sometimes make for a bit of a grumbly stomach. But we had a lovely couple of hours catching up and putting the world to rights.

Back home and it was time to have a play with our new purchase...a soda stream! Having gotten fed up of not being able to buy sparkling water we have indulged in a soda stream, not something I ever thought we would own but now we do. We won't be adding all the various syrups that are available as we don't drink any sodas of any variety, it will simply be for sparkling water with perhaps some fresh fruit added for a little extra flavour.

Then Simon gave me a quick lesson in 3D printer clean-up! Basically this is taking the printed part and snipping off any support structure and base layers...one of those weirdly addictive jobs!

I even managed another half hour with my jigsaw before I headed down the gym. Tonight it was all about kettle bell and body weight exercises targeting glutes and abs!

Day 888...Wednesday

Up and out again for another early morning walk with very grey skies but still warm and thankfully a breeze which meant it didn't feel as muggy as yesterdays walk had. But it was 1.9 miles in 37 minutes completed before 9am.

The majority of my morning was taken up with some gardening, or as I like to call it 'cleaning the outdoors' as that's what it feels like. It was a couple of hours of sweeping up leaves, cutting back plants, cleaning out grates and weeding. Not my favourite job but one that needed doing and one that I wanted to get done in case it decided to rain later on. I need to get some weedkiller sprayed around as well but that will have to wait until we have a dry weather forecast.

On a positive this morning both my brother and I have finally received an interim payment from the solicitors in respect of my dads estate. It has taken them since the beginning of the month to get this processed, their systems are so archaic. In fact my brother challenged them on why it was taking so long as he, like me, has worked in banking and, like me, knows how smoothly transactions can and should be processed. He was told because 'that's the way it's always been done' - unbelievable! They seem to be working about three decades out of whack with the rest of the world. And whilst neither myself or my brother were in need of the payment, and it wasn't a large payment either, we just felt that it belonged to us and should be with us rather than lining the accounts of the solicitors!

After lunch my task was to sort out the butchers order which had arrived late morning. I had 4.5 kg of bacon, 100 sausages, 5kg of chicken and 5kg of steak mince to split into meal sized portions and freeze.

It was late afternoon before I finally stopped and took a few minutes out to enjoy a coffee and move some jigsaw pieces about. Before I knew it Simon had finished work for the day and it was time to head down our gym in the rain. It's on days like this that having the gym in the garage only a short distance from the house is really appreciated. Tonight it was an arms workout for me.

And there we have a couple of days, see you all tomorrow.
xx

Day 880

Day 880...

Well the weather forecast had led me to believe that we would be waking up to rain this morning but the weather had other ideas and we started bright, sunny and dry. Perfect for our early morning walk of 1.9 miles in 36 minutes; back to our usual weekday route as Simon was back at work proper today.

Although there was a little hiccup this morning when Simon went to check on his current 3D print and found that although the printer was still attempting to print there was no filament being extruded. This means that Simon now has two things to figure out; first why did the filament stop extruding and once we know why it can then be fixed and second how to break the print into smaller sections. He was hoping that it was going to be one, very big, single print that should have taken about three days but now he is going to look at breaking the model into smaller pieces that can then be assembled once they have all been printed. 

My day was a mixture of odd jobs around the house like the ironing and some cleaning interspersed with a couple of coffee breaks taken outside making the most of the sunshine as the forecast was predicting rain this afternoon.

Simon nipped out to the barbers just before lunch and as the grey clouds gathered I got caught up with some online bits and pieces. The rain finally arrived mid-afternoon although it was not quite the downpour that had been predicted and it still feels rather close, as if we need a good thunderstorm to clear the air. Well, the forecast is for rain and lots of it overnight and into the morning so we shall see what actually happens.

This evening while Simon jumped on the exercise bike I took myself down the gym with a focus today on legs and abs!

And with that I will see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 873

Day 873...

And with Simon back at work today we had our usual 1.9 mile early morning walk in just 36 minutes and it was another glorious start to the day.

My day has been relatively quiet and has been a simple sort of day. I had a quick Lidl shop to do as we needed fresh salad and a few other bits. It is so handy having a Lidl just a few minutes car drive away and I am finding that without being at work it is much easier to change the way I shop. I am no longer tied to a weekly shop where I try to get everything at once from one place but can now shop when needed and when I feel in the mood to! 

I made a point of sitting outside with my coffee to soak up some sunshine before it got too hot and I have started to re-read one of my low carb books. It's called 'Low Carb, High Fat Food Revolution' and it's an easy and informative read to understand how we got to where we are today and what we can all do to make ourselves healthier and slimmer too.

And while the day was a little cooler, and the sun had not yet reached the window where my jigsaw resides in front of, I decided to take a few minutes before lunch to get some pieces into place. 

Our lunch was a little later today as Simon is very busy with work. They have a deadline looming and so it's a case of everyone working as many hours as they can over the next few weeks. This does mean that our plans for this coming weekend may not happen and at the most optimistic are 'on hold'.

Over the course of the afternoon I was able to get a little cleaning done, a few more jigsaw pieces moved around and some online searching for canisters for storing our tea & coffee. An easy task you would think but who knew it could be so boring and that there would be so little choice! I had to walk away as my eyes were beginning to cross and so instead I headed down the gym!

My workout tonight was focused on mainly abs with a few squats thrown in, but it was a rather sweaty session and a shower was very much needed at the end of it. Although I am quite pleased to report that I had my second three minute cold shower of the day!

And with that I shall see you 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 859

Day 859...

It was a rather grey, and much cooler than of late, start to the day but that didn't stop us getting out for our regular early morning walk. I'm quite impressed with myself that I am able to step out in shorts and t-shirt when I know previously I would have been wrapped in jeans and a hoodie. Just goes to show how being exposed to different weather conditions on a regular basis can cause your body, and mental capacity, to adapt. I even find myself craving the fresh air and being outside which is completely opposite to how I have been in the past...I think (and hope) this new lifestyle is working well for me. But anyway out we went and it was just a quick walk of 1.9 miles in 37 minutes as today was a working day for Simon and we needed to be home in time for his work day to start.

My morning was relatively slow and quiet. I had a few rounds of laundry to catch-up with and a much needed trip to Lidl to stock up on fresh foods. As our diet is predominately low carb/keto our meals consist mainly of a protein source plus green veggies or salad and so regular shopping trips are needed to keep us stocked up on those fresh items. One bonus of no longer working means that fitting in a quick shop is so much easier as I can shop at a time that suits me, on a day that suits and I can fit in smaller shops more often to ensure foods don't spoil. Plus with prices on the rise as they are I am finding that I am favouring the likes of Lidl much more than I ever have before because their prices can be significantly cheaper for some items than the bigger supermarkets.

After lunch I finally gave in and did a task that I'd been putting off...Simon's tax return! Not the most exciting of jobs but obviously one that had to be done. Here in the UK tax returns are only completed if you are requested to do so by the tax office or you have self employed earnings. Because Simon has a small income that's generated through his art commissions each year it means that we now have to complete a 'self assessment tax return' each year. Plus once you're in the system it means that there is no escaping completing it whether you have any self employed earnings or not.

While it's great that it can be done online it can be a bit of a long process as it involves collating figures and making sure that all the right questions are answered and the right numbers are put into the right boxes. And like anything that involves an official form there is that element of double checking everything so that you can, hopefully, avoid any errors. The tax year ended in April and the tax office do have a lengthy window of time for returns to be completed, with the first deadline being the end of December and a final deadline of the end of January. So I've managed to get it all completed in plenty of time and now it's a case of figuring out when they need paying and how much. I'm hoping that any tax owed can be paid through our normal tax code system rather than having to make a one-off payment, but we will need to wait a few days for their final workings to come through.

And the end of my day was rounded out with a workout. While Simon jumped on the exercise bike I headed down 'our gym' to complete a few body weight exercises; push-ups, tricep push ups, mountain climbers, hip thrusters, squats, sumo squats and lunges. I also then did a few goblet squats and then targeted my upper arms and shoulders with a few dumbbell exercises. 

When I first went low carb back in 2014 I would complete a set of body weight exercises twice a day; a mix of planks, lunges, squats and push-ups. I managed to keep it up for probably a couple of years, if not longer, but as time went by it dropped to once a day and then we rediscovered going to a local gym and so my workouts were kept to when we went to the gym. No excuses but the routine simply slipped and changed, but now I want to get back into doing a little more than I have been. I am enjoying the morning walks and feel that they are both good for my body physically but also mentally as they give chance for Simon and I to connect on a daily basis and there is just something about being in the fresh air that can lift your spirits. On a normal week we will probably go down 'the gym' twice and then Simon will jump on the exercise bike perhaps three times. I want to make sure that on those days when Simon is on the exercise bike that I make the effort to do something myself whether that be body weight movements or more weights...no point moaning about the shape (or lack thereof) of parts of my body if I'm not doing anything about it! 

So new things going forward - more exercise and cold showers (I'm now up to 1 minute and 30 seconds!).

See you 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 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 810 & 811

Day 810...

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

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

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

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

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

Day 811...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 803

Day 803...

We decided on a different approach to our day today...we have decided to try intermittent fasting by simply delaying our breakfast till lunchtime.

And as part of that we decided to get out bright and early for a walk and we completed 2.5 miles in 45 minutes. We were out and walking by just gone 8am and although it was a little damp it didn't deter us and according to my fitness tracker we walked at a faster pace than our normal lunchtime walks and had 41 minutes of fat burning exercise - that'll do nicely.

On our return I decided to get back into doing some of the body-weight exercises that I used to do when I initially went low carb eight years ago. So this morning I reintroduced my body to planks! It was a little tough going and I think it will take me a few days to get back into the swing of things but I still managed a full plank and two side planks. I just want to up my times and re-introduce a few more movements, but I've made a start and that's the most important thing - onwards and upwards.

After a quick shower I headed out the door and paid our local Lidl a visit as we needed a few bits and bobs. The advantage of going on a Tuesday morning was that I was probably the youngest shopper in there!!

With the shopping all put away I did a little online shopping. Having dug out the cosplay at the weekend I realised I was short of a couple of pieces of make-up. I needed an eyebrow pencil and some face powder and I thought the easiest, and probably cheapest way, was to buy online thanks to good old Amazon.

I also spent a little time looking for leggings for my workouts; who knew there could be so many styles...so many in fact that I haven't been able to make my mind up yet!

So as lunch rolled around Simon and I had our usual cooked breakfast and it was lovely and so much more relaxed having it at lunchtime rather than in a rush on a morning. And neither of us had felt hungry so I think going forward this will be our new approach to the day.

The afternoon was spent at my dads house as I wanted to go through and catalogue all of my mums ornaments and collectibles. She had over the years collected quite a few things and they are simply too good to donate and I am sure there are collectors out there who would love some of the pieces we have and it would be great to think they could all go to homes where they will be fully appreciated. But before that can I happen I need to figure out what we actually have; so lots of photos taken and uploaded to my laptop so that I can now start the process of collating and categorising!

And that was my Tuesday, see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 796

Day 796...

And we have had a Tuesday and we have had a full day in work.

This was the first working day of my last week at pre-school. The morning was spent taking one of my team through the process for claiming the government issued funding. And the afternoon was chance for myself and my deputy to catch up, go over a few outstanding items and make sure that we are as up to date with everything as we can be.

I will still be involved with the pre-school in my capacity as committee chairperson and I have the task ahead of converting the pre-school into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, but the day-to-day operation and management will no longer be mine!

We had the lovely Jon visit from our local Asda this morning. Jon is their community champion and comes out to visit the pre-school when he can, he runs activities with the children and supports us with our fundraisers. He very kindly brought me some flowers and my favourite chocolate...

I arrived home late afternoon to a freshly brewed coffee and before I knew it it was time to head down 'our gym'. Simon has been keeping a tally of how often we have worked out since we set up the gym during the very first lockdown...we have hit workout 200 today!

So I think it's time to put up our feet and I'll see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 789

Day 789...

And today was Tuesday; it was a full day in work for what should be my only day actually 'in work' this week.

I am now fast approaching my last working day at pre-school and so for the remainder of this week I will be working from home as I attempt to update contact information and addresses and the like.

Although I won't be leaving pre-school completely as I will be on a retainer until the end of July should they need me, as well as taking over the role of chairperson of our committee. As a registered charity we are governed by a committee of trustees and so I will keep that connection with the pre-school through being chairperson.

After work I had a quick stop at home to drop off my laptop and work bag before heading into Derby for a beauty appointment. Before I knew it I was back home and it was time for a coffee and a sit down before heading down 'our gym' for a weights workout.

And that was Tuesday...see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 783

Day 783...

Tuesday and a pretty standard and uneventful Tuesday at that.

It was another full day in work for me as I continued to provide cover for another member of staff who was off work. It was pretty standard stuff as I dealt with parent questions, kept on top of paperwork and emails and helped our new admin clerk with a few tasks.

Arriving home to a freshly brewed coffee I took a few minutes to sit outside in the sunshine, soak up some vitamin D and recharge my batteries.

I then spent way longer than I would have liked researching home insurance policies as we need to make sure that the insurance for my dads house continues until we are able to sell it, and it's at a reasonable expense! My brother has booked a skip for the next couple of weekends so that we can make a start on clearing the house of all the no longer needed, or wanted, stuff.

We finished the day with our usual Tuesday evening workout at our gym; more moving of weights. Ideally I'd like to be doing more and in a more varied way. I used to complete a set of body weight exercises (squats, lunges, push-ups etc) every day and have fallen out of the habit so perhaps my impending 'retirement' from work will help me get back in the habit! I am hoping that with a little more 'head space' I can re-evaluate what I want to be getting out of life and how I can incorporate that.

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 776

Day 776...

So after the bank holiday weekend it was back to work today and in a change of plan I was actually in work as opposed to working from home.

My day was mainly filled with looking at cash flow forecasts, re-checking and updating figures as these are often an ever changing entity! Next week we have our AGM meeting so we need all the finances to be as up to date as possible. We will also be looking at what we call our 'long term plan' which is basically just planning out the next academic year and so cash flow forecasts form an integral part.

In fact once home, and in a quieter environment, I decided to take the time to re-work some of my figures, almost as a double check to make sure that I was being as accurate as I possibly could. And with that out the way I decided to put a few jigsaw pieces into place and actually managed to complete it!

After Simon had finished work for the day we headed down 'our gym' for a weights workout.

And now I better stop as I have some tweets to set for the Disney Dream Girls podcast I co-host as we have a special episode airing tomorrow as it will be Star Wars Day...May the Fourth Be With You!

See you tomorrow.
xx
 

Day 769

Day 769...

After the strangeness of the weekend we are back into the normality of the working week.

I think the build up to the farewell for my dad yesterday had perhaps affected us more than we had realised. The weekend had been focused around my dad, his house and then getting ready for yesterday. As we had opted for a direct cremation we did not have a formal service yesterday but simply had a gathering of friends and family to say goodbye. We do know that my dad has been cremated today and by the end of the week my brother will be able to collect his ashes. We will then have the final scattering to arrange so that he can be placed where mum was seven years ago.

So today was a standard sort of Tuesday. I was in work for the full day and spent the day assisting my deputy manager and others as they take on more and more of my role. We are working towards my last official working day being the 27th May with a view to keeping me on as consultant should they need me (they won't as they know what they are doing!) until the end of July.

On my way home from work I stopped by my dads house to check on post and make sure all was well...very aware that with the house being empty we need to keep an eye on it. Back home and I had a couple of work related tasks before Simon finished for the day and we headed down our gym!

Another day done and I will see you tomorrow.

xx

Day 762

Day 762...

Well today has been a day of various appointments.

It started out with my least favourite of the day...the dentist! I've never liked the dentist and despite numerous treatments over the years my love of going has wained even more.

So on arrival we are told we have to wear a mask...really?! When the majority of my time within the building will be spent with my mouth open! One positive to be taken from the pandemic is that all the forms that would have been completed in person on arrival are now sent via text and email a few days before to be completed online. They even have an electronic check-in to save speaking to a receptionist which would have been great if it had worked.

I had to have a couple of x-rays and while they showed up a couple of cavities I opted not to have any treatment as they have not been causing me any pain. Although I do think it odd when the dentist asks me what I want to do about them...isn't that their job to advise the patient?

I was hoping to get a clean and polish today as two years of not being able to have this done meant my teeth were in need. But apparently all I could have done was the scraping part and not the polishing part because of covid!!! Really? So I have been left with cleaner but rather rougher feeling teeth!

After a quick stop at home for a coffee I popped out to our local Lidl to stock up on a few fresh supplies and decaf coffee; the essentials.

After lunch I headed into Derby for the first of my two afternoon appointments, a quick beauty treatment. My next appointment meant jumping back in the car to head to the outskirts of Derby and to the Breast Unit at the main city hospital. I arrived in plenty of time and was thankful I'd had the foresight to bring some coffee with me as due to restrictions still being in place I wasn't allowed to enter until 5 minutes before my appointment time. 

Having being diagnosed and treated for breast cancer in March of 2019 this marks my third annual mammogram appointment and was the first time back at the main breast unit since my operation. During the pandemic the mammograms had been completed at a smaller site away from the main hospital, but today I was back where it all began. I was in and out in next to no time and now have to wait for my results which will be with me in a couple of weeks! I have two more annual mammograms to go before I am classified as 'all clear' and then I'll revert to the standard screening of every three years.

Back home and the coffee was just brewing thanks to Simon. I spent a few minutes online catching up with the antics of my podcast co-host Michelle as she arrived in Disneyland Paris today and has been posting video online throughout the day.

I had a few minutes to start sorting jigsaw pieces before Simon and I headed down 'the gym' for our usual Tuesday night workout.

And I think that is Tuesday all done so I will see you tomorrow.
xx

Day 755

Day 755...

I think this will be a relatively short post as although I have been busy today there isn't too much to tell.

The morning and early afternoon was spent in work with a couple of my colleagues as we went through some paperwork. Despite being on our Easter two week break we wanted to use the time to have a bit of a sort out. The last time we had been able to have an extensive sort through was two years ago when we had moved premises. Now with my leaving date fast approaching it was time to go through everything and with two fresh pairs of eyes decide what needed to be kept and what didn't.

By early afternoon I was back home and waiting for my brother as we had an appointment with a solicitor to go through my dad's estate. Although everything is quite straight forward we made the decision to let the solicitor take the lead and get everything completed for us. Neither of us have the time, nor the inclination, to do what is needed ourselves and are more than happy to let someone else get involved. At least this way we can, hopefully, ensure that everything gets handled correctly and promptly.

So after an hour chatting with the solicitor we think we know where we are going next. I have a few bits and pieces of paperwork to get together and drop by their offices but at least we have now started the process of winding up my dads estate. This will also give us the motivation to go through the contents of his house and figure out what we want to keep and what we don't!

We then spent another hour or so chatting over the whole process and reminiscing about years gone by. And before I knew it the evening had arrived and it was time for dinner (thank goodness for making double keto pizza yesterday!).

See you tomorrow.
xx

Day 748

Day 748...

Well, today turned out to be a day of two halves. The plan had been to spend a full day in work but as we went through the days tasks we realised that I would be able to finish a little earlier.

The morning was spent with my deputy manager to catch up with all the happenings at pre-school and go over a few more in depth aspects of the managerial role. But we are beginning to get to the point where all those various aspects of my job are being transitioned across and the need for me is slowly becoming less and less.

Therefore just after lunch we decided that I'd done as much as I could for the day and was able to head home and leave my deputy to get on alone with the multiple tasks that she had to complete. We are at a point where it is better to leave my staff to get on with the jobs at hand and to then ascertain just where they need input, if any, from me going forward.

Back home and I discovered that Simon had used his lunchtime to swap over a door on one of our assembled cabinets in our new study room. Because we need to swap the room design over it meant that the corner cabinet needed to be reversed and Simon had been able to do it with ease.

With a freshly brewed coffee in hand I decided to tackle some paperwork of my own. I needed to use the governments 'Tell Us Once' service about my dad's passing as by doing this government departments like the passport office along with local government departments all get informed 'at once' rather than having to contact them all individually. It's a straight forward process and didn't take me too long at all.

I was then able to contact some of our relatives to let them know about our arrangements to celebrate dad's life at his 'local' pub in a couple of weeks time, along with a few of his old neighbours. I still have more to contact but that will be a job for tomorrow. I was also able to start to collate some of the paperwork that we will need when we go to see the solicitors next week along with starting to inform other third parties but there is still more to do.

Then the day was rounded out with a trip to our gym...I think we were both quite pleasantly surprised at how well we did as I think the last two days of building cabinets was starting to catch up with the both of us!

See you tomorrow.
xx