Bewildered As Normal

Fifitr - I find a lot of groceries on Amazon are cheaper in the supermarkets, and I usually stick to just getting things like vitamins and tissues that I would sometimes run out of or hard to find stuff. I used to get toilet roll from there and I may go back. I never thought of rinsing off the beans. I may try that. I'm being careful about Christmas stuff, as you are right. One bad day is all it takes to make a dent if I need a treat.

I booked a slot at the tip. It was empty when I got there, so I didn't feel so guilty. I only had a few bits, but they included four demijohns that I had found at the back of the cupboard. They hadn't been touched in twenty years! There is a sort of shed where you can put things that others may find useful, so I left them there. 

Writing - lots of writing stuff. Today I have shared and gone over an amazing review from Alison DeLuca at Girl Who Reads here, which was about Out of the London Mist and I also finished off the main edits for Under the Bright Sahara Sky, which has a somewhat different feel, and wrote a new short story for the October Frights tomorrow (today's new story is here). I've also written a few paragraphs for the medieval fantasy that is due in a few days and I'll be going back to that now. My brain is whimpering. 

Doing Sums

I used my Lidl app again today. I didn't spend too much and got 74p back in savings from the coupons with the card and a scratchcard win of 25p off my next shop. I'm still not entirely convinced. However they do have the good lebkuchen and I bought a load to stash for Christmas.

I did a 'Big Shop' in Tesco. If you have their Clubcard Plus then you get 10% of two shops per month. Today I bought a pan to replace the one I burnt (which I hated) and about a month's worth of frozen breaded chicken, frozen diced chicken and frozen chicken breasts along with a very posh Advent calendar and some fancy nuts that were on a deal, together with the usual groceries. Tesco are doing a deal where they have certain items at a discount if you have a Tesco Clubcard. This included the fancy nuts. I didn't get too many, though. I'm not sure how long they will stay reduced, but I don't feel like going overboard on them so far from Christmas. I did go a little wild on the stock cubes. The reduced salt vegetable stock cubes, which are incidentally gluten free, were 40p for ten instead of 50p and marked 'reduced to clear'. I'm always using vegetable stock cubes, and I like the reduced salt ones so I decided to stock up in case they were going to vanish. They expire in December 2021, so I'm not worried about them going to waste. It's soup weather, and I can use two or three a week.

With the discounts on the Clubcard and the 10% off, I saved just under £13 (though I still spent a fortune). I'm sure I can do better.

Tonight, after buying all that chicken, we had baked potatoes and beans. I signed up for Heinz at Home, which is direct from Heinz and you can get beans and stuff. If you subscribe then you get free postage. It isn't the best ever price that you get on beans, but it isn't bad, and DH only likes Heinz. I was worried that we wouldn't get through them quick enough. I signed up for a tray of 24 tins of beans every 8 weeks, the longest interval allowed. I thought I would have to make excuses to use them and be careful to use at least three tins every week. Over the last week, with meals and quick lunches, I've used six tins. I think I'll be fine. 

Writing stuff - today's contribution to October Frights is here. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

A New Week

I have started stocking up for Christmas. Tesco are running a promotion where some items are cheaper if you have a clubcard. I didn't pick up much today but I saved £5. The question is - would I have spent the actual money if it had been less? I'm not so sure, but I stashed some miniature toblerone bars which we all like and they were £2.50 per bag instead of £3.50. I think they are just about worth £2.50, but not £3.50. I'm not getting much chocolate in this year, but I'll get some bits put away between now and December if I see a good deal.

 The birds still haven't touched the bird table, but I was being closely watched by a magpie when I got home from dropping bear off. I hope we do get to feed the local birds. I really enjoy seeing them.

I had a bad night last night, and I had the flu jab today, so I am officially shattered. I am proud that I walked over there, though. It's real progress. I didn't see the tree with two types of apple on this time, but I was enjoying the colours. I wish I could capture the glow in the air as I took this photo, as the sun was getting low and there was a lot of cloud.

I love the colours of autumn.

Writing stuff - today's October Frights post is a new story here. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Waiting for the Weekend

Kate - we have to book a visit to the tip and we are allowed two trips per household per week. They are quite picky about what they will take, but fortunately our tip is quite close. We only have cars anyway, but bear really needs a new mattress. Sorting that out will be fun!

As there is likely to be a major announcement about covid measures tomorrow, and as I live in one of the worst affected areas, I thought I would have a drive around this morning. Unfortunately the sun was seriously bright and the sun visor and sunglasses didn't help. It was the perfect angle. So I had a little walk. 

I wish I could show how glorious the sun was through the leaves today. I won't be able to walk there for a while. It's the wrong side of the traffic queues and the school run is fraught as it is. It's in a different district from my home as well (though not by much).

Lots of sorting out today. I'm sure there is lots of stuff that can go, even after today's tip run. I want to push through with knitting loads, as I love the yarn I have and I really want to knit it.

Writing stuff - today's story is here, and don't forget to check the links for other stories in the Blog Hop, as well as the free stories in the Giveaway.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Sort of Okay

I didn't manage to follow the plan very well today. I've not done well all week. And today I didn't even do the dishes. Mind you, it's been an odd sort of day.

DH is going to the tip tomorrow and we are trying to clear stuff out. I think we all feel the need to have an emptier house. I'm embarrassed to admit that DH and bear feel it a lot more. Bear put a bird feeder together this morning so that the packaging can go to the tip, and I dragged out boxes and rubbish from all over the house. DH really wanted a full car. 

Bear also started clearing through his books and we had a pile around two foot deep covering his bed. Charity shops aren't accepting stuff near me, and it would take me years to eBay it. DH is going to check out the book bank at the tip. I'm trying to think of other places that may like the donations. 

I thought I would have a dig in a corner cupboard in my room that was hidden by a pile of stuff because I thought there were old sheets in there and I might as well get rid of them. That's when I found a leak in the pipe. I may have said some rude words. 

It hasn't been going for long. The carpet near it is dry, and there isn't any mold on the walls near it. There were a few very damp sheets, which I binned, so it could be worse. When the boiler was installed, over ten years ago, a thingy was installed that was supposed to keep the gunk out of the pipes. I think it may have sprung the leak when I repressurised the boiler. It's going to have to be a plumber.

It may be a while before we can get hold of a plumber, so we all went to B&Q for leak stop. It's been months since we were all out of the house at the same time, so it felt a little odd. I drove as DH's car was filled to the brim. I'm going to have to clear out my room which is overdue, but I could do without doing it this week. I have realised how much yarn I have now, and I need to get knitting.

Writing stuff - Day one of the October Frights blog hop. My first contribution is here, and at the end there is a list of other blogs taking part, together with a link to the giveaway of stories on Story Origin which does not include me as I didn't get my act together. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Not Bad

I confess to not particularly following the plan, but it's been an okay sort of day.

Jean - it is a pretty awesome bag and lovely and sturdy

Sharon - I'm sort of a cheap date. I don't go for things like fancy bags and shoes, but I am a complete sucker for a bargain.

Fifitr - I'm trying to make carrying the bags back to the car part of my routine, because if I don't, I'll end up with even more and there's a mountain of them already! I can't resist good bags for life, and Tesco have great ones. As for notebooks, I have stacks around. I'm always noting down bits, like rows for knitting, word counts, etc. I don't expect the shopping list book to last long. I am about to suggest something naughty. Donate unused notebooks that you don't fancy using and get something brighter. There are some lovely ones around, but they are not inexpensive. There are some cute ones in supermarkets these days and I've mostly resisted, but, if you are watching the pennies, do not check out Peter Pauper notebooks. I think that they are an American company, but they sell over here through Amazon and their notebooks are stunning! Also, not cheap. Not at all! I haven't found an excuse for another one yet, but I will.

I've may not have stuck to the plan, but I've been busy. I've finally done the complex calculations for bear's school photos. Biggish one for the main room (if bear permits), slightly smaller ones for DH and I to have on our desks, then enough of the 'reasonably big but not too big' for family and friends. It was a complicated calculation as the different packages didn't cover everything and I had to go down to the small print.

I also spent some time re-pressurising the boiler. It's a task that's slipped from my mind over the last few years. The DH realised that his room wasn't heating up as it should as his radiator, on the top floor, was almost entirely air and so was the radiator in the junk room! After I've finished this post, I'm going to start a sheet with monthly tasks on, that don't really fit in a day but should be done intermittently, like bleed the radiators. 

Then there was a tyre issue. I suspect that there is a slow leak going on. Once again I was driving along when a tyre pressure warning came on - and I hadn't hit anything or had a jolt. There was nothing I could see in the tyres, but the rear tyre on the driver's side felt off when I was driving. I asked the Citroen garage who recommended a tyre place that was a tricky drive. It was foul to turn into, with a tiny opening and nowhere to park and lots of men hanging around looking busy. Bless them, one of them parked red for me, because I couldn't, and they had a little check. One of the tyres, the rear tyre on the driver's side, was a little below pressure, and they added a squirt of air and wouldn't take money. I think that it is likely to happen again, and I should be able to work out how to put air in at the petrol station, if I have the courage to try.

Writing stuff - today's story is here. And don't forget - tomorrow is the start of October Frights and I'll be linking to all the other blogs taking part in my posts from 10th to 15th October. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Not a Win

 Sharon - thank you for the kind words and encouragement. I really appreciate it!

I got three hours sleep last night, so I decided that I would just do my best and take what I could as a win. Also, deadlines continuing. 

I got a few little bits done, and I managed quite a chunk of writing. Bear assembled a light before school (it was delivered yesterday) and I remembered to get the right bulbs and the crumpets due to shopping notebook, so that was a win. I also dug out a diary and grabbed a bag.

I shouldn't have bought the bag. It was 60p in Tesco and I have absolutely no need for it. I have dozens of bags for life. I just couldn't resist the design. So here is what I am calling my survival pack. 

Ignore the curtains at the back. That was father's choice and I need to get a new rail before I get new curtains.

This is the folder with all the lists on. I'm looking for a sturdier file, though.

Here is the trusty shopping notebook, which hopefully will follow me around.

And this is a sort of diary. I got it from Wish, and it was relatively inexpensive. Inside you get a few pages for notes and lists and lots of double page spreads for weeks.

You fill in the month and date yourself.

It has a little box where it has the numbers 1-12 and I've circled 10 as we are in the tenth month, then you put in the dates next to the days of the weeks. I plan to keep a record of all sorts of stuff and I may use highlighters to code for medical, deadlines, appointments etc (my writing is appalling and I'll be adding more details now I've taken the pic)

It has month sections for overviews and blank pages for jottings and I hope to make it all work.

I'll add a pencil case with some pens and highlighters in, and that should help a lot.

Writing stuff - Today's post is here, and I took the pic myself a while ago.

Hugs and good health to all.