A frugal life is an easy life!

Day 17:

When I last posted to my diary, it was Friday and a nice relaxing driving job planned.
The weekends have now started to melt into the week and with few clocks around hoovertowers* being the school holidays is turning into a normal way of life.

On Friday, the gripes over the better half working too much overtime surfaced, so not much was said. It had been brewing for a few days to be honest.
We are complete opposites in this regard, our lass sees it as an opportunity, I see it as too much of it makes her cranky and it's me that's the target or the "vent."

Anyways, finally home from work at a reasonable hour, teatime, and faced with a 120 mile driving job to Sunderland, to collect dear old mum and take her 150 miles south to Derbyshire for her break with my brother and his family, then a 60 mile trip home, I decided that I would travel up Friday evening and sleep over, ready for the trip south.
My better half decided to come along with sprog2, not an issue, except the packing, luggage and assorted baby things, filled more of the car up than the holiday maker I was taking.

What do women need lots of "stuff" for when they go anywhere?
Blokes just throw a change of clothes in a bag and assorted toiletries and away we go.
Now we had hair dryers, brushes, wipes, extra nappies than those I had put in already, two changes of clothes, two lots of footwear, etc, etc.
We hit the road about 8pm, a surprise landing planned, I like surprising people.
The added bonus, to those that think it's a routine drive, is that on the way up, I can test the car out, any break downs would allow me time to be towed back home and use another car, keeping mum on time for her holiday.

The drive was no problem the next day we set off for sunny (hopefully) Derbyshire and it was. You can view the pictures of Carsington by clicking this link.

A beautiful area Carsington is, close to Matlock Bath deep into Derbyshire, if you ever get the chance to stay there, grab it with both hands.
We had a cracking time there, but had to set off back... Saturday was over.
Sunday, saw the better half working overtime yet again, so off I went to pick up some bread, baby milk, etc.
Getting back into sprog1's car, I clattered my kneecap on the dashboard, it just missed the kneecap and heard the muscle rip, didn't feel that bad at the time, but come teatime, I couldn't bend my leg... OUCH!
The milk on Sunday turned sour, the fridge had iced up and was using large amounts of electricity. The fridge had finally conked out.
We bought it from the old Norweb electric showrooms, so it must be at least 12 years old.
Add to this, a banging headache, Sunday was not a good day.

Sprog2 had been hot and bothered on the Saturday, on Sunday it continued, cranky, gurning for no reason, sleeping alot.
Monday was no exception. Off we went to track down a fridge (we ended up with a fridge and chest freezer - got £45 knocked off for haggling with a local firm) Sprog2 was on form, bouncing around as normal, but a very hot head.
Three doses of the magic calpol, she was cool all over, just her head was burning up.
We got back around teatime, I called up the nurse, who got us an appointment with an "Out of hours GP" up at what's left of our local hospital.

A throat infection, which explains why shes been trying to scratch her throat and gagging on her fingers for the last two days bless her.
The long sleeps, the not eating, at least I was correct to up the amount of bottles she was having. Kept her topped up with fluids I have, checked for rashes and made sure she gets plenty of naps.

Only now, after shringes full of anti biotics, neurofen (for children) and calpol has her temperature finally come down a bit.
The nurse told me that neurofen and calpol could be taken together, it was not often used at the same time if the temperature didn't fall with just one?

So in the last three days, I've ripped the muscle under my kneecap, sprog2 has picked up a throat infection and temperature, I have driving jobs to look forward to on Wednesday and Saturday to come, I have managed to break the fridge and we have a new freezer coming as well.
I'd be proud of all that in a week... let alone just three days.

* Hoover towers = home, which looks like a building site

Day fourteen:

I don't go out with the intention of Christmas shopping, but when a real bargain comes along, not just the old "Now half price" offer thats been doubled in price the month before and returned to it's original price in the "sale," then it can save a fortune.

I ask myself these questions when buying Christmas presents, more so if it is for kids:

• Can it make noise without the need for batteries or be turned off?
• Can it make a mess?
• Is it something they would not normally get?
• Is it clearly well below its regular price?

If the answer is yes, then I will buy it.
I picked up a selection of acrylic paints, different size brushes, plastic mixing pallets, for just £3 - put it together with a pack of cheap printer paper, alibongo! One Christmas present all ready to go.
Think back to last Christmas - how much would it cost for an art set of various brush sizes, acrylic paints, mixing pallet, all presented in a snazzy box? £10 at least I bet!
Not only do I get to give Christmas presents to annoy the parents of children, but I save money... little victories people!

Around the house, seeing as it is raining still, we have progressed on to lifting floor boards, to check the heating pipework, ready to cut into it and move the radiator in the back room. Just got to measure up for some lats and then fit them in so I can run the pipes along them, then lay a new floor, so it's level with the old floor in the main room. Sounds complicated but it really isn't.
The van's not available this weekend, I've lent it to our neighbours, who are moving to the other side of town (saving them £80) they are attempting to lift a suite out of a first floor window without ropes... the wife (who is a riot) thinks they'll be able to have one person lowering it from the top and one person stood on the ground to support and lower it down. It's clearly not going to happen, but it would have been fun watching hehe.

Sprog2 and I are on the road tomorrow, or maybe even tonight.
A two and a half hour drive to Sunderland, then a brew and eats, then a four hour trip down to Derbyshire, then a two hour drive back home.
The wife will be off work for two weeks after Sunday, so I'm hoping for better weather and the chance to go places and get things done.

I have always wanted to visit the Lowry, I've been once but didn't manage to see a single painting. They have an exhibition on at the moment, showing his most famous works.
I've got a plasterboard to cut to size and place on the false wall, so I can hang a radiator in the kitchen, ready for the new boiler coming (which once in, will mean I can take all the old pipework out of the front room, move the cooker into it's new position - ready for the range to go in - remove the fire and back boiler and get the fireplace bricked up and the chimney swept, so we can put in a coal fire, in time for Christmas hopefully?)

I have two kitchen wall units I picked up off a neighbour the other day, they are having a new kitchen fitted, but I wanted the two hardboard cupboards for our "utility room" (for some reason I keep calling it the outhouse hehe) to fit in, moving the old plyboard units to the shed to store my plant stuff in, that is currently living under the sink.
Add to this, two doorframes to build and two doors to hang and mixer shower pipework to put in, there's always something to keep me busy.

Have fun in the rain gang...

Day twelve:

I will check the outside of my windows today, I'm sure that someone came round about four weeks ago and put grey tinted film on my windows, as everytime I look outside it's grey!
Where has all the sunshine gone?
Wondered into a travel agents on Saturday, just pottering as you do, as I browsed the racks for a brochure on Germany and Austria, I over heard the travel agent say, "Right, that's your details entered, let's see what bargains our computer can find.. "
As if by magic, "Oh here we go, El Sheik in Egypt is great value at the moment..."
She then went on to reel off how she had been there, lots to see and do, lovely beaches, etc.
All complete bull of course, the couple gawped at a teletext screen with their gobs wide open in amazement. Another fool and their money...
(I went to Los Angeles once, specifically for a beach holiday - the travel agent said she had been to Annehiem several times and it was ideal for the beach and quiet - when we got there it was next door to disneyworld and over an hour through the city centre to the nearest beach.)

Top five jobs that happily tell you lies:

1. Estate agents
2. Travel agents
3. Car salesmen/women
4. Bank staff
5. Call centre staff (The one's who answer the phone first)

I think sprog2 and I will be getting rickets soon if we don't get some sunshine.
Wellington boots are the way forward, hoods up and splash city here we come!

Todays chores for those thinking my day is filled with nothing but fun - three loads of washing and drying to get done, hoovering out the front room (daily chore this), bathroom and the carpeted area (sounds posh but isn't) in the kitchen.
Two lots of washing up, Winburies and apples want putting in a pie and a crumble.
Sprog2 needs a bath, she's back in her own bath as she turned over in the normal bath and stopped breathing, frightened the life out of me (I also require my daily bath which will be grabbed when sprog nods off in her chair - which will not happen as it never does).
Sprog2 will also require feeding and changing at least four times today, as well as entertaining.
I have to pick a loaf up "whilst I am out" (even though I may not go out - which means I now have to go out) need some new collars for the moggies, I am hoping the market in the next town is open today as I need birthday and congratulation cards, I can pick the collars up there almost half the price of the supermarket ones.

Have to run now, another load of washing has finished and I can hear sprog2 starting to wake up... chow dudes

Already two weekends gone of the school holidays... where do the days go?

Driving back home after food shopping on Saturday morning, in the rain yet again, I was already grumpy from lack of sleep, I thought about a holiday.
With money being tight and the arrival of sprog2 (wouldn't change her for the world of course) it's been years since we last had a holiday.
A nice long slow drive down through Germany, to the Austrian border. From there we can easily visit Switzerland, more of Austria and even northern Italy.

I landed back home and carried the seven carrier bags of fresh meat, fruit and veg inside.
As I unpacked them all and stocked up the cupboards for yet another week, this has been the routine for what seems a lifetime.
I am tired, I have way too many jobs to do and always find myself waiting for other people or things before I can do them, in the end, I get very few finished.
Luckily, the wife was on a rare day off, (she's another one who grafts too hard) so I had cover for sprog2 for when I went shopping.

As is the "norm" in our house, once I've got the sprog all sorted, the wife comes along and the sprog falls asleep.
Everywhere I go shopping, there are tales of holidays, so I was getting into holiday mode.
The wife informs me that a parent can no longer put their sprog on their passport!

I checked it out, not only must sprogs have their own passport (a five year one) but applications take anything up to three weeks to get processed, longer if at busy times, ie, when I need one!
There is also a charge of £49 for it!
Fast tracking is available, if you make an appointment and drive down to Liverpool to get it, this increases the price to £96.
Why, when we have people coming into Britain from everywhere, does it cost so much and is so complicated, for us British to get out of the country for a holiday?
We all know how much a baby changes looks, eye colour, etc. So surely any passport picture would show little resemblance after a year or two?

So with the holiday idea shot down, I slumped in the chair and chilled out.
The wife made us her own burgers, made from fresh braising steak, with fat cut off and some silverskin pickled onions, a perfect way to end yet another day.

I know, I know, what happened to days 3 to 6?

You tell me!
Everything's upside down here for one reason.... teeth!

Sprog2 has had no bother at all with her front gnashers, they through no problems with a bit of calpol and some gurning, we have been really lucky.
Her back gnashers are starting to come through, her sleeping routine normally changes every two weeks, it's been all over the place. Up at 2am, sleeping in until 10am, then back to midnight playing and being wide awake. My body clock is not adapting as fast as her routine changes!

I'll probably get slated for this, but I have upped the number of advanced feed bottles I have been giving her. She is chewing everything in sight, but struggling to eat solids, so I've gone back on to the smoother jars of baby food and given her an extra couple of bottles.
Calpol of course, eases the pain and this cools her down, but I have not seen much in the way of slavering.
She appears to be happy enough with it, until she wakes in the night and the nappies have gone back to rocket fuel, but I can handle that if it means she maintains her weight and she continues to eat regularly.
I am not a fan of rubbing medicines on her gums, or giving her various drugs to sort things out unless it is essential to her health, I don't trust what is in them.

If I bump into you around the markets or in town and I am not the happiest of campers it is because I'm having to grab an hour in the afternoon and then nothing until 2am.