Sleepless in Seattle and Plucking up Courage

Yes, I know I've been decidedly AWOL but life has been throwing a lot of lemons our way lately. G is still suffering with his twitchy head and we have both been losing enormous amounts of sleep.  He has had Physio at the hospital, visited an Osteopath and had manipulation as well as acupuncture in his neck over the last 3 weeks, all to no avail at the moment.  He is now on the hospital waiting list for Botox injections but the appointment could be 2 months away.  It's currently costing us £90 a week in fees :/  He is very stressed by it all but I really don't want him to go down the slippery slope of taking Diazepam.  He is already on pills for other things including high blood pressure.  The reading has hit the roof and he was prescribed Calcium Channel blockers early this week.   Last night we both got around 2 hours of restless sleep and I have felt like a zombie all day.  G was brave and went in to work.  He'll be back around 8.30pm tonight.

This morning I set to and sorted the spare room out.  The wardrobe has been cleared of unused 'stuff ' most of which went to the CS but I gave an artist neighbour a nearly new easel, gave a hardly used backpack to a cheerful young care worker, who visits a neighbour and took several black bags of rubbish up to the skip.  This now means that, if necessary, I can sleep in the spare room on the floor in a sleeping bag so that G doesn't worry so much about waking me up when he has to get up for painkillers or to put the kettle on or put his heat wrap in the microwave.  When your bedroom is right next to the kitchen in a park home every click and rumble is LOUD !

When I was in town I plucked up the courage to speak to a young man who appears to be homeless and who sits on the pavement in all weathers.  He made eye contact and said hello so I asked if he minded if I offered to get him a drink.  It was blooming cold.  He asked if he could possibly have a hot chocolate so I bought him one as well as a slice of hot, fresh pizza.  Now that I know he doesn't mind being approached it won't be the last time I buy him something.

My craft sales have been a bit neglected over the last 3 weeks due to me being exhausted most of the time so I can only add £11.50 to the total.  I am, however, determined to keep going....

Stay safe everyone and thanks so much for popping in x

 Stash to Cash total £166.65

On Frost and Planning for Christmas

After a frosty start, yesterday was a gorgeous day.  The sun shone, the birds sang, I did shopping and so much washing that my basket is almost empty.... a satisfying day.  We had so little sleep on Friday night that I felt like a limp rag yesterday morning but lots of activity interspersed with 'feet up' moments meant that I got through the day far better than I expected to.  Luckily, last night was a good night for G regarding getting off to sleep so it benefitted us both and we woke up refreshed.
I have a craft fair next weekend so I'm busy prepping for that and I have also had some modest sales on eBay so I'll update my challenge total next weekend.

This year I have really struggled to make any savings for Christmas out of the weekly food budget.  At the moment I have just £15 which won't really buy much in the way of festive groceries and we're three quarters of the way through the year so I think I will have to use my sealed pot savings on food instead of gifts this year.  I will be opening the pot on 1st November so I'll let you know how much I have then.  Gifts will be paid for from my Stash to Cash challenge money.  I have written a list and will need to allocate a certain sum for each person.  Some (mainly little ones) will get cash in their Christmas cards instead of a gift.  And I'm on the lookout for brilliant bargains to snap up!

Anyone else written their lists yet?  I absolutely have to have lists!!

The family came to visit this afternoon, so we had a lovely catch up. The GC, at the ages of 11 and 14,  are so much easier now.  They chat, occupy themselves, help with cooking tea (pasta bake, lots of salad and warm crusty baguette) and darling GD dried up the crockery afterwards without being asked to.  They have gone home so I have my PJ's on and am ready to watch some TV.  Vanity Fair is on later, shame that Bodyguard has finished :(  Anyways...….

Stay safe wherever you happen to be and thanks so much for popping in x

Brrr...Get Ready For Autumn



photo from Google

 



Brrr...it's chilly this morning.  The central heating thermostat is set at 13 degrees and it clicked itself on at 7.30am this morning, a sure sign that it is indeed officially Autumn.  Half an hour of heat has warmed us up enough to get out of bed without shivering :)  And the sun is out now so, hopefully, it will warm up a bit before we go out to do the 'big' food shop.

The thicker duvet has been put back on the bed, the LPG tank was topped up last week (£57.34 so not a shock thanks to the hot summer) and the boiler serviced (£65)  Our bill for 6 months electricity dropped on the mat last week too so another £269.16 left our account, but that should be it for the rest of the month then it's just council tax by direct debit in early October.  My budget calculations seem to have worked out pretty well and there might even be a bit of a surplus at the end of the year but I don't want to jinx it by being too confident.
 
Has anyone seen the Halfords offer of a free MOT with any purchase?  I found out from the Martin Lewis website.  I bought a chamois demister pad for £1, thinking that there was no way I would qualify with such a small purchase but, several days later, I received an email containing a code to input in an online booking. Voila! Free MOT booked for end of November!  I hope it doesn't mean that they will try to find something wrong so that I have to pay them something but my car is 8 years old (never failed before) so its' a possibility.  I'll let you know how it goes....

The craft fair 2 weeks ago was very slow, hardly any footfall at all, and takings of just £7  but I have another coming up in 2 weeks time so intend to have a bit more Christmas stock just in case people are more in the mood by October ;)  I take comfort in the fact that other stallholders had disappointing sales too, it wasn't just me.

Anyway, I'm off to check cupboards, fridge and freezer and make a proper shopping list.  We will need comforting food soon I'm sure, and there's a budget to stick to!

Stay safe everyone, wherever you happen to be.  I need to catch up with reading my favourite blogs.  I've missed so much...

Thanks everso for popping in x

A Quick Update & Peppa Pig!

This is just a quick post to update my Stash to Cash total.  My sales on eBay have been small but steady, with a total of £44.23 to add to the pot. This brings it up to a satisfying £155.15 and I have the monthly craft fair next Saturday too.  Is it too early to put Christmas stock on my stall do you think?  I know many of you, like me, like to start preparations early (I already bought 2 small stocking fillers)  Ooh, decisions...decisions.... :)

On the home front, G is still suffering with his neck problem although he has seen a consultant physiotherapist for an assessment at the hospital and is awaiting an appointment for more physio treatment.  He is still on tablets but, at least, this means we are getting some sleep now albeit sometimes broken sleep. We would love to take the caravan off somewhere for a couple of nights before Winter sets in but simply can't at the moment until G's appointment comes through. I thought that last year was bad with G's 'toothy troubles' but this year has been even worse somehow.

It has been GS's and GD's bithdays within 5 weeks of each other so I was very glad of having my Stash to Cash money.  I put money in their cards instead of buying a gift they didn't want or need, which they were really happy about. They both bought new clothes and/ or trainers so I feel it wasn't money wasted :)  I will carry on with my challenge until the end of the year, only now it will go towards Christmas gifts. Oh, and I'll send something to my little GD in Australia.  She will be 3 at the beginning of November and I usually send birthday & Christmas things in one parcel.  She is in love with Peppa Pig and dinosaurs! Has anyone seen any Peppa Pig clothing at a reasonable price please? It needs to be as light as possible due to postage costs and with short sleeves because it's Spring in Oz.  A bit of a task, I know.....

Well, considering this was to be a short post, I've rambled on a bit!  I felt quite down when I woke up an hour ago but feel that I've been talking to friends and feel a lot more cheerful.  Thanks for listening....

Stay safe everyone, wherever you are in the world and thanks so much for popping in x

Stash to Cash total £155.15

On Wine And Sleepless Nights

Thank you to everyone for your comments on my last post.  Some of you naughty ones would try tasting the wine and Cherie really made me giggle!  We decided it wasn't worth the risk.  The first bottle opened with a pop but didn't smell very nice and was full of sediment, the second didn't pop so must not have been airtight.  It smelled awful, so both were poured onto a dry patch of the garden.  We fully expected to see dizzy bumble bees and other insects but they all seemed to be unscathed :)

At the moment G is suffering badly from his neck problem.  His tummy bug cleared up but the last 2 nights have been spent largely sleepless due to this head twitching he is getting.  Last night he was in and out of bed so often that I got up with him and made some tea.  We were still up and awake at 5am.  At 5.15am we decided to try to get at least a couple of hours, managing to doze off until just after 8am.  This morning he has managed to get a GP appointment because this can't go on.  He has more than a week to wait until his physio appointment at the hospital and I'm sure that something more is going on other than a spinal problem.

For this reason my blog will go quiet for a while.  I am exhausted; too tired to think, in fact.  I will continue to read other blogs when I can and I am carrying on with my Stash to Cash challenge until the end of the year so might update the total periodically for my diary.  There is no craft fair this month but I do have some online sales to total up.

Stay safe everyone and thanks everso for dropping in x

How Long Does a Bottle of Wine Last?

When it was cooler last week G decided to tackle the shed at long last.  He hauled everything out from off the floor, added a new shelf and tidied it all up.  So much stuff! There were containers holding just a drop of this or a bit of that so we used up what we could and gave some away, recycling the containers.  Equipment used in his old gardening business which he no longer needed was given away too.  He came across these tucked into a corner in a gift bag....

They are dated 2009!!  I remember a friend of FiL begged some of our rhubarb from the last house and he made it into wine.  We were meant to keep it for 6 months before opening it but we moved here in March 2010, popped them in the shed and completely forgot about them  What a waste.  How long can you keep a bottle of homemade wine for?  Any records out there? :)

In the early hours of Saturday morning G was throwing up (and, no, he hasn't sampled the wine!)  Somehow he picked up a bug which has laid him flat and off his food for 3 days.  Not much sleep was had by either of us that night....

Today the weather is roasting again but it seems that cooler weather is on it's way, thank goodness.  I will be so glad to get through the day without feeling sticky and uncomfortable.  How are you all coping?

I mustn't forget to welcome a new follower: Margaret, I think...hello!

Anyway, thanks so much for popping in, take care xx

Mammoths, Wasps and Village Life

Gosh, such a lot has happened since my last post.  The visit to West Midland Safari Park last Sunday was lovely.  It rained on and off but didn't spoil the day.  It was GS's birthday and the activity of choice for a birthday treat.  There was so much to see that we didn't manage it all so will be grateful for the free return ticket later on in the school holiday.  We were just going into the new Ice Age area when DD discovered a wasp down the top of her ankle boot which stung her several times before I could get it off her.  This necessitated a trip to the First Aid booth and a dressing of TCP applied.  Everyone for miles around could smell us coming afterwards...lol...but she survived.  Anyway, we all trooped back to the Ice Age for an encounter with Mammoths and wild creatures of all descriptions complete with sound effects....

Their Dinosaur area was pretty impressive too but I haven't posted photos because many other bloggers have covered it.  I loved the Bat Cave too (but not the smell !).  As it was raining again after our picnic lunch, we drove around the safari park for a second time when it was much quieter and we could take our time driving through.  GC thought it was ace.

A couple of weeks ago I broke a tiny bit of tooth off whilst eating my morning cereal and the roughness has irritated my tongue ever since so I brought forward my usual check up appointment, thinking that the dentist would smooth it off for me.  Did he heck.  He took one look and when I was lying prone with his gloved fingers in my mouth declared that he would just ( and I quote) "pop a bit of anaesthetic in, quickly whizz out the two fillings and refill them"  Aaarrrgh!  It was a good job I couldn't speak.  Anyway, job done within minutes and a bill of £59.10 to pay.  Great.....  :/

Changing the subject yet again, we attended a meeting at the village pub on Monday where we discovered two ongoing problems.  The first is the potential closure of the village Post Office which would be devastating to village life.  We have many of the older generation here who don't have transport, computers or smartphones and who rely on the PO for all their financial transactions like pensions and paying of bills.  We are looking to set up a co-operative to buy the shop and PO and carry on the business.  Pledges are being made even as I write.

The second, and pressing, problem is the potential quarry development on farm land close to the village.  It would be so harmful to wildlife and crops, as well as the health of the villagers.  At least 3 schools would be in the vicinity of toxic dust and heavy lorries clogging the roads.  We need to do something fast.

Has anyone else tackled anything like this?  Can the 'big guys' actually be stopped from getting their way?  I do hope so....

Anyway, must dash, it's cooler today so I need to get cooking for once :)

Take care and stay safe x