Bungalow Renovations - Where are the Floors?

 

Yes, that's me stood on the 'floor' in what will be our living room, I can just about see out of the window.

And that's Alan stood in the only room that still actually has a floor.

Come into the living room he says with a smirk!!

The fireplace shows the level of where the floor was until Alan took out first the floorboards and then the joists.

Everything just looks so strange.

Alan has been working really hard over the last two weeks to strip everything out ready for the next stages of the renovations to take place.  He's exhausted every afternoon when he gets home for a hot bath, but he says he's loving it.

Gosh, men are strange. 😄

The room that I was stood in when I waved out of the window.  

So, where are all the floors and joists then?

They are in the garden under tarpaulins, ready to be chopped up one day to give us years and years of kindling for the log burner. 

 Another job that crazy Alan says he's looking forward to!!

Copper pipes in the kitchen waiting to be taken, along with the old copper water tank, to the scrap metal merchants.  Seemingly the price of scrap copper is at an all time high at the moment.  We are just clawing back some money whenever we can.

Hope you have a lovely weekend. 

Sue xx

Adding to the Cash Stash

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I was singing the praises of the soup maker that we have had for years (see here), but then I had a change of heart while I was washing the pots.

The one downside to this particular model is that you can't submerge the glass part in water to give it a really good clean and with my back issues I was struggling to lift it.  The only way to properly get it clean was to lie it on it's side leaning over the washing up bowl of soapy water and scrub it carefully.

So I lost patience, and after a chat with Alan who said he didn't want it either, I advertised it on Facebook Marketplace.  It sold within two hours to someone who really needed it, and I was very happy.

Ten pounds to add to my little cash stash, which while I am currently managing on such a tight budget is a nice little back up so I can buy anything big that I might run out of.

Or, as I have only £3.28 in my purse to last me until the end of the month, it might have to be used sooner.  😄

Sue xx

Valentines Promises and Freebies, Shopping ... and a Health Explanation

 

We didn't do much for Valentines Day this year, with health and bungalow 'stuff' going on and family visitors for two days last week, it sort of slipped under the radar a bit.  So, we exchanged cards and I promised to buy Alan an axe when he sees one that he likes, he needs one for all the wood chopping he wants to do now that virtually all of the floors in the bungalow are up and the joists are coming up next.  

Once he gets chopping we will have enough kindling for the log burner for the next five years at least!!

He went to Booths to get himself something and was supposed to be buying me a sliced loaf while he was there.  Instead he got distracted by a pretty girl giving out samples in store and offering free toilet rolls to anyone who bought a box of the 'Cheeky Panda' tissues.

He said he knew that this would appeal to me, I laughed and agreed and said it could be my Valentines Day gift ... and then asked where my bread was.  😄

Booths - £8.65

We did go to Booths the next day for a coffee and a chat after meeting with our kitchen designer, so I bought some buns instead, along with some eggs and biscuits.

I didn't need anymore shopping as I am still barely eating properly at the moment.

Yesterday, after a very painful visit to go and see my Mum, I was feeling sorry for myself and toying with the idea of not blogging anymore as I am currently finding it so difficult to do so, but after a comment from Sue this morning I had second thoughts.  So many of us have been blogging friends for years now that it seems wrong to just vanish.  So instead I thought I would share what I am currently going through so you have some understanding.

During lockdown in 2020 I had a lot of back pain and it was discovered a year later, when I managed to get to actually see a doctor face to face and have various tests, that I had undiagnosed osteoporosis in my spine.  This had led to a thoracic wedge collapse and three other broken vertebrae, along with two nerve impingements.

After diagnosis and trying lots of pain relief medications, it turned out that most didn't work for me, the ones that might have I was allergic to, and the only pain relief in the short term was Naproxen and in the long term paracetamol.  So basically, on doctors orders, I have been on eight paracetamol tablets a day for the last five years. The gastro-enteritis that we both suffered a couple of weeks ago completely knocked this finely balanced pain relief out of sync, including my blood pressure medications and has led to this health crisis.  The doctor at the hospital prescribed Naproxen again and said that I should see my own doctor about future pain relief, and maybe a further round of scans for my osteoporosis.  It is all this pain that has sent my blood pressure sky high again, so I have had to take readings ... yet again ... for a week before this weeks visit to the doctor.

That's it ... health update and recap for anyone that didn't know about my condition, and I will try not to mention it again.  Other peoples health issues ... as far as I am concerned ... can be quite boring at times, so if I start moaning shoot me!!  😉

Sue xx

Catching Up On This Months Shopping ... and Riverford

 

Aldi 1st  February - £21.20

It's time for me to try and have a catch up of everything that I've been missing, but I can only manage a short while on the bar stool that I have to use when I'm on the computer, so sadly it will be brief.

February started with me back eating fish, but I have to say I have really gone off fresh salmon, so I think breaded fish will have to be the way forward, and these Aldi fish portions are reasonably priced and very tasty.  

It does bump the cost up though doesn't it when you buy a few fishy products at once!

There's not been a lot of shopping up to now this month, but then there's not been a lot of eating either.  😞

Booths - £4.30

The second shopping of the month contained no food, but my favourite washing up liquid was on special offer at 25% off, so although I needed one, I bought two.

I have decided that from now on I am buying quality and ethical products rather than quantity and cheapness.  It seems to actually balance out ... well up to now anyway.

The three napkins were from the café in Booths, Alan took me out for a coffee, but the tablets I am on are making everything taste foul, so there's not been much coffee drinking going on this past week.  I must be saving him a fortune.  😄

11th Aldi - £14.94

To bring you right up to date, this morning we had a quick trip to Aldi as we have family coming to stay for a couple of days and Alan wanted to get some things in.

Looking at the photo it really is a very random basket of shopping isn't it, but I was just going for what I really needed and what I fancied.  But when everything tastes awful you just have to try ... I won't be munching on the floor wipes though!!

The receipt from Aldi.

Happily just before we left for Aldi, this weeks Riverford box and Salad Bag arrived so we could check out what we definitely didn't need to buy.

Again it was all beautiful quality food, and once we had shared it out we set off for the other things that we needed/wanted.

I changed the order a bit this week and went for a Seasonal Vegetable Box rather than the mixed fruit and veg box.  I have to say that this suits me better as I do prefer vegetables to fruit, I always have. As there wasn't a cucumber in this weeks salad bag Alan bought a large cucumber from Aldi and said I could have half, so I have some lovely salady things to eat.

 Once again this order was paid for by my prize winning vouchers, and I have enough left in the account to get one more totally free of charge order and then something off a fourth.

As it was pouring with rain first thing this morning the delivery driver left the order on the doorstep and ran back to his van.  Happily they have a 'Box Brolly' to put over and around your box to keep the cardboard and the contents dry.

I would actually call it a polythene bag ... but hey now it's a box brolly. 😁

Sue xx

Bungalow Progress ... All Mod Cons

 

I've not been on my computer since last Sunday, so I apologise for a complete absence of blog posts.  I tend to post a couple of days in advance and set to automatically publish, hence there being a couple of posts last week.  I was sent to hospital in the early hours of Monday morning and spent all night in A&E before being kept on the Urgent Care ward all day Tuesday.  Things are slowly getting back to normal, so there's no need to worry.

Anyway I thought I would do a little update of the bungalow progress.  We are having a little breather between builders etc while Alan gets on with some labouring and they work on another job that is much more urgent.

As you can see from the top photo, the garage has now been rebuilt and has walls, a roof and a door and a window.  There's still a bit of work to be done, but it's nice to see it up instead of us just having a hole in the ground.

Our mod cons consist of running water from the outside tap.

And toilet facilities in the front garden.  Of course we also have a bank of five electric sockets in the old hallway so that lights, tools and kettles can be plugged in.

On the downside, thanks to Alan's hard work, we no have virtually no floors.

Oh well, one day we will live there.

Sue xx