How can I be so busy? I am supposed to be semi-retired! The reason I have not updated this blog for a few weeks is that I just have not had the time. Before I semi-retired last Novemeber I was quite worried that by now I would be getting bored and be wondering how to fill my days. So what has been happening since then? Well, firstly, I have had an unexpected influx of work from my one remaining client - that will give me work, on and off, over the next month or so. On top of that I have started to paint the en-suite ready for some electrical work that will be done next week. I know that I may need to do another coat of paint after the full refurbishment is completed but, as we are changing from a mid green to an off white colour it will need a few coats to cover it all. Then I have been busy ordering and taking delivery of various things for the refurbishment. I have to admit to being a highly organised person (annoyingly so for some people) so want to make sure we have everything we need in good time for the fitter to start work. There are so many other things I want to do and, at the moment, I just don't know how I am going to fit them in.
I am still trying to lose some weight - but, intentionally very slowly. So far I have lost about 1.8kg and hope I will continue on a slow downward path. It has been very interesting keeping a food diary as it really highlights where the problems are. It has also been a surprise to me how many calories are in some things that I thought contained less. My husband does not always help though.....for example, he came home from the supermarket with 10 donuts the other day. I did not really need these but did not want to waste them. So, my dilemma was to waste them or eat them. Well,, we did the latter between us - but I made sure he ate more than me!
Wednesday 30 January 2013
Friday 18 January 2013
Snow, snow and more snow
The forecast told us we were going to get snow...and they got it right. So far we have 3.75 inches of snow and it is still falling as it has been doing since early this morning. Most people stayed at home today. Rod reported that the traffic on the roads was very light and I could see a lot of people out walking, children with sledges and several quite large snowmen.
Our house and garden looked very pretty this morning:
We then got to a small field with a large snowman in it.
Then the fun started as I took her along a path at the back of the local school and let her off her lead. She went mad with excitement and hared up and down the (no longer visible) path and skipped and jumped through the deep snow.
Aaaaah. What a beauty!
Our house and garden looked very pretty this morning:
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I decided to take Lucy for a walk this morning before it got too deep for her. She LOVED it! Here she is all togged up and ready to go.
We started off walking down this path next to our house....after she had tried to eat the snow in the front garden!
Then the fun started as I took her along a path at the back of the local school and let her off her lead. She went mad with excitement and hared up and down the (no longer visible) path and skipped and jumped through the deep snow.
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Aaaaah. What a beauty!
Monday 14 January 2013
Snow in Hampshire
It's that time of year when the news is full of hyped-up headlines about heavy snowfall. How besotted we are, as a nation, with the weather! Today there are reports of snow in parts of Hampshire but, living where I do on the outskirts of Southampton, we seem to escape the worst in most years. I have a saying that if we get snow I feel sorry for everyone else as they usually get more. In the last few winters I have recorded up to 8 inches of snow in our garden - an amount I had not seen in this part of the world since my childhood.
Plans for our bathroom and en-suite refurbishment are now falling into place and orders will soon be placed to ensure we have all the necessary materials in time for our fitter to start work late Feb/early March.
Today I plan to visit my 90 year old step-mother, Christine, to give her some company. I am not good at doing this as I find it difficult to dream up interesting topics of conversation each time I visit her. I usually take Lucy with me as she is a good diversion but I don't think Christine is a great fan of dogs. I am also concerned that she feels she can no longer go to the shops for her groceries and does not have any plans as to how she will get this on a regular basis. I think she is relying very heavily on people to get things for her when she wants but this could all fall apart so easily and leaves me feeling uneasy about it all.
Well, rain is due in the next couple of hours so I had better get Lucy out for a walk a.s.a.p. - that's if I can peel her off the bed, of course!
Plans for our bathroom and en-suite refurbishment are now falling into place and orders will soon be placed to ensure we have all the necessary materials in time for our fitter to start work late Feb/early March.
Today I plan to visit my 90 year old step-mother, Christine, to give her some company. I am not good at doing this as I find it difficult to dream up interesting topics of conversation each time I visit her. I usually take Lucy with me as she is a good diversion but I don't think Christine is a great fan of dogs. I am also concerned that she feels she can no longer go to the shops for her groceries and does not have any plans as to how she will get this on a regular basis. I think she is relying very heavily on people to get things for her when she wants but this could all fall apart so easily and leaves me feeling uneasy about it all.
Well, rain is due in the next couple of hours so I had better get Lucy out for a walk a.s.a.p. - that's if I can peel her off the bed, of course!
Wednesday 9 January 2013
Bathroom and en-suite refurbishment
Before work starts I thought it might be good to have some photos of what will soon be transformed. The en-suite actually looks OK-ish in the photos whereas the bathroom looks very dated. Both need a lot of work doing to fix and mend so we decided to be brutal and rip out the whole lot and start again. Let's hope we are not disappointed!
En-suite - before refurbishment:
Bathroom - before refurbishment:
This proves that photos do not tell the whole story as they do not reveal the broken tiles, the dodgy plumbing etc etc.
Our fitter visited us yesterday and said he can't start work until late Feb or early March but we are optimistic that we will have it all done (just!) before, all being well, Rod's mum comes to visit us at Easter. First we hope to get an electrician in to fit some of the electrics in place ready for the bathroom and en-suite refits and to improve some of the other electrics in the house......ching, ching......there goes more savings.
Now we just need to finalise the choice of fixtures and fittings. I never knew there were so many tiles and taps to choose from and how difficult it would be to get what we wanted. Every time we get close to choosing the tiles we find some obstacle - usually that they are discontinued or ridiculously expensive. Taps are not easy either as we have a style we like and would like a matching bath tap and shower set but there are not many of this kind suitable for low pressure systems.
Hopefully in April there will be some nice photos to show of a successful outcome!
En-suite - before refurbishment:
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Our fitter visited us yesterday and said he can't start work until late Feb or early March but we are optimistic that we will have it all done (just!) before, all being well, Rod's mum comes to visit us at Easter. First we hope to get an electrician in to fit some of the electrics in place ready for the bathroom and en-suite refits and to improve some of the other electrics in the house......ching, ching......there goes more savings.
Now we just need to finalise the choice of fixtures and fittings. I never knew there were so many tiles and taps to choose from and how difficult it would be to get what we wanted. Every time we get close to choosing the tiles we find some obstacle - usually that they are discontinued or ridiculously expensive. Taps are not easy either as we have a style we like and would like a matching bath tap and shower set but there are not many of this kind suitable for low pressure systems.
Hopefully in April there will be some nice photos to show of a successful outcome!
Tuesday 8 January 2013
Dark January mornings
It always seems odd to me that mornings in January and February feel darker than I would expect now that, in theory, days are getting longer again. We are currently having a spell of very mild but very dull weather - so mild that we had no heating on yesterday until the evening - and then we hardly needed it. It must be mild as I saw my first daffodils of the year in bloom today. Unfortunately I did not have a camera with me so I have cheated with a cheerful picture of spring daffodils:
The weather forecasters are saying that the mild weather is about to leave us - we'll see! One thing I have learned since November is that being cold de-motivates me. I don't know why and am sure there must be some science that could explain this. Cold and dark is not good. Cold, dark and wet is horrid.
Semi-retirement is, I think, about to hit me. Up to now I have been very busy with Christmas and planning for a bathroom and en-suite refurbishment but I am expecting that I will have times when I will be wondering what to do. Whether that will be the case or whether I will always feel busy and occupied I do not yet know. Although the refurbishment will cause me some work (choosing, ordering and taking delivery of items) and some disruption when the work actually starts, I am now starting to wonder what I am going to do with the rest of my life. Realistically, I see this year as a year to de-clutter the house a bit, to do some decorating and as much refurbishment as we can afford (and put up with in one year). In between times I will be doing all the usual housework, walking Lucy and, hopefully, starting up some other enjoyable activity. I have always wanted to have a go at writing a book and am seriously considering giving this a go. The beauty of such an activity is that I could use it as a fill-in activity between other things and it will help to keep my brain active. If I ever achieve this then I will self publish - not to get rich (though that would be nice!) but for the satisfaction of having achieved something new.
[Courtesy of photoeverywhere.co.uk]
The weather forecasters are saying that the mild weather is about to leave us - we'll see! One thing I have learned since November is that being cold de-motivates me. I don't know why and am sure there must be some science that could explain this. Cold and dark is not good. Cold, dark and wet is horrid.
Semi-retirement is, I think, about to hit me. Up to now I have been very busy with Christmas and planning for a bathroom and en-suite refurbishment but I am expecting that I will have times when I will be wondering what to do. Whether that will be the case or whether I will always feel busy and occupied I do not yet know. Although the refurbishment will cause me some work (choosing, ordering and taking delivery of items) and some disruption when the work actually starts, I am now starting to wonder what I am going to do with the rest of my life. Realistically, I see this year as a year to de-clutter the house a bit, to do some decorating and as much refurbishment as we can afford (and put up with in one year). In between times I will be doing all the usual housework, walking Lucy and, hopefully, starting up some other enjoyable activity. I have always wanted to have a go at writing a book and am seriously considering giving this a go. The beauty of such an activity is that I could use it as a fill-in activity between other things and it will help to keep my brain active. If I ever achieve this then I will self publish - not to get rich (though that would be nice!) but for the satisfaction of having achieved something new.
Thursday 3 January 2013
Getting in shape
Like many people I now need to get myself back in shape after a little over indulgence during the Christmas period. I am not one to follow a fancy diet as I know that might work for me for a short time and then I would revert to old habits and put it all on again. I have found an interesting app called MyFitnessPal which lets me set myself a target and record all my eating and exercise so I can see how I am doing. I have set myself a target to lose 0.5kg per week which is slow but I'd rather do it slowly and see some results than starve myself just to say I have lost weight - and then, no doubt, put it all back on again!
Wednesday 2 January 2013
A new year - a new start
Happy New Year to any readers of my blog.
I can hardly believe it has been a week since I last updated this blog. I seem to have been so busy entertaining family and friends over Christmas that the time has just whizzed by. At the last minute we invited our friends Andy and Amanda (with their two dogs Millie and Max) to join us for New Year's Eve. We had a lovely evening which culminated in popping a bottle of Champage open to see in the New Year whilst we watched a fabulous fireworks display (courtesy of one of our near neighbours) and Max cowered behind the sofa!
At 8am today I looked out the window of our house and saw a lovely red sky so grabbed the camera to catch it...by the time I took the photo it was already fading.
The reality of being semi-retired will kick in from now as all the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over and my work (that remains) is likely to be very quiet for the next few months. Today is the first day back to 'normality' as Rod went back to work today and I now need to find a routine that works for me and decide what I am going to do in the longer term. No rush on the latter as I have a lot of things to do around the house which will keep me fairly well occupied for some months (or longer?) to come.
Like many people when they approach retirement, we are looking at making improvements to our house. We are starting with a refurbishment of our bathroom and en-suite which we hope to have completed by Easter. A fitter has been appointed and my job is to find and buy all the bits we need. We have compiled a list but are having trouble finding wall and floor tiles that we like and that suit our needs. We have so much choice these days that it is hard know what to buy - but it is keeping me occupied!!
Did I make any New Year resolutions? Yes. To make myself settle into a gradual retirement by keeping myself occupied. To lose a few of the pounds I put on in the last month or so.....not that I am a fan of diets. I will do it by cutting down and getting enough regular exercise. Lucy will like the latter!
I can hardly believe it has been a week since I last updated this blog. I seem to have been so busy entertaining family and friends over Christmas that the time has just whizzed by. At the last minute we invited our friends Andy and Amanda (with their two dogs Millie and Max) to join us for New Year's Eve. We had a lovely evening which culminated in popping a bottle of Champage open to see in the New Year whilst we watched a fabulous fireworks display (courtesy of one of our near neighbours) and Max cowered behind the sofa!
At 8am today I looked out the window of our house and saw a lovely red sky so grabbed the camera to catch it...by the time I took the photo it was already fading.
The reality of being semi-retired will kick in from now as all the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over and my work (that remains) is likely to be very quiet for the next few months. Today is the first day back to 'normality' as Rod went back to work today and I now need to find a routine that works for me and decide what I am going to do in the longer term. No rush on the latter as I have a lot of things to do around the house which will keep me fairly well occupied for some months (or longer?) to come.
Like many people when they approach retirement, we are looking at making improvements to our house. We are starting with a refurbishment of our bathroom and en-suite which we hope to have completed by Easter. A fitter has been appointed and my job is to find and buy all the bits we need. We have compiled a list but are having trouble finding wall and floor tiles that we like and that suit our needs. We have so much choice these days that it is hard know what to buy - but it is keeping me occupied!!
Did I make any New Year resolutions? Yes. To make myself settle into a gradual retirement by keeping myself occupied. To lose a few of the pounds I put on in the last month or so.....not that I am a fan of diets. I will do it by cutting down and getting enough regular exercise. Lucy will like the latter!
Christmas time
Suddenly Christmas has come and .... whoosh .... it's gone. Where has all that time gone since I last wrote something for this blog? I do know a fair chunk of time was spent waiting to get into the supermarket car park and then queuing for ages to get to a till when I did my 'last shop before Christmas'. Why do we all go so mad when the shops are only closed for one day?
This year my very nice mother-in-law flew down from Scotland to stay with us. She looked in fine fettle when she arrived but, sadly, went down with a nasty bug which put her in bed from Christmas Eve to late on Christmas Day. We did our best to look after her and to give my step-mum a nice day with us on Christmas Day. It was a bit of a challenge and, I think, catering for 10 people might have been easier. Fortunately, Lucy, our gorgeous dog has been impeccably behaved for which I am very grateful!
After all the usual Christmas Day phone calls to various family members, I had a FaceTime call to my brother. It was great as we were each able to show what was happening in our respective homes for Christmas. I showed off my Christmas cake (mark II) which, I have to say, looks better than it tasted - not my finest but still very edible.
This year my very nice mother-in-law flew down from Scotland to stay with us. She looked in fine fettle when she arrived but, sadly, went down with a nasty bug which put her in bed from Christmas Eve to late on Christmas Day. We did our best to look after her and to give my step-mum a nice day with us on Christmas Day. It was a bit of a challenge and, I think, catering for 10 people might have been easier. Fortunately, Lucy, our gorgeous dog has been impeccably behaved for which I am very grateful!
After all the usual Christmas Day phone calls to various family members, I had a FaceTime call to my brother. It was great as we were each able to show what was happening in our respective homes for Christmas. I showed off my Christmas cake (mark II) which, I have to say, looks better than it tasted - not my finest but still very edible.
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