After a morning that was waaay too early...

...I've already had enough for the day so here's the weekly totals of care, for at least 2 weeks (because of NaNo and my Covid jab) - not quite an 80 hour week, but not too far off it:

Steve's care of me:  5 minutes
My care of Steve:  78 hours 15 minutes

So I'm significantly over double the time required to be recognised as a carer and Steve is 34 hours and 55 minutes under the required time.  Again.

See you all back with the weekly care totals in a couple of weeks.

Behave yourselves and look after each other while I'm gone.

See you back again properly as soon as I'm able to.

 

Nite nite and TTFN orl.

As predicted...

...my carer isn't cooking yet again, so out of a potential 14 meals he hasn't prepared a single one and my lunch, for the 7th day on the trot, is gonna be biscuits yet again.

He's just said that "when things are back to normal again, we'll have to totally rejig the weekly groceries so that we get proper food in again instead of just the stuff we've been getting recently" which'll last all of a week before it goes back to being the majority of Steve's stuff again and I'm left to go hungry or resorting to biscuits for every meal, like I have this week.  I can guarantee that even with a weekly menu and proper food in the freezer, he will quickly go back to having meat and crisps and stuff that I can't have again, just like this week and the next two weeks have been and will be.  Even the bribery for the last two weeks hasn't worked this time 😞

He's still got plenty of meat in the fridge so he's sorted for food for lunch and I'm left to go hungry again.  For the next two weeks I'll be living on a mug of instant soup (ie nothing even remotely solid) a day and Steve will have meat, crisps and biscuits along with a pasta pot, pasties and pies every day from Tuesday or Wednesday onwards.

I was wrong about being wrong in my last blog post

In my last blog post I said that my carer had fallen asleep and that I'd put it into the spreadsheet but by the time I'd published the post and put the time into the spreadsheet he was awake again and wanting a hot drink, so I was wrong about that and I apologise for my mistake.  I've put the making of his drink into the spreadsheet but I bet he'll be asleep before he's even got half way down it again, same as always.

That's the news done, so time for...

...a day full of surveys until Steve's delivery comes that he's assuming I'll answer the door to and I've gotta re-dress the back of his thigh at some point today 'cos I spotted that the dressing was quite bloody as he was washing at the kitchen sink again.

I'm 4 minutes away from caring for my carer for 3 hours already this morning and he's just come in here, so I'll see if he's got a delivery slot for his delivery then I bet he'll fall asleep again within seconds of telling me what it is, just like he has done all morning so far.

I was wrong... he's asleep now before he's told me what it is, so I'll go and add the time to my spreadsheet.

Mornin' all

I desperately need my hair cut ✂💇 lol  I can put it up into a small ponytail half way up the back of my head now!  It'll keep my neck warm over winter but when the hair dresser has recovered and is safely back on her feet and back to work, I will be getting an appointment as soon as I can!

I've taken my pills this morning, run the virus scan (which is still clear), cared for my carer for an hour and made his breakfast for him.  I'm having biccies for my breakfast and hopefully scrambled eggs for lunch, which my carer promised he'd definitely do for me last night, but I won't believe it until I see it 'cos the last time he cooked was last Saturday (not yesterday, the Saturday before) and I've been making all his meals ever since.  If I do have eggs for lunch, it'll be my last solid meal until I've recovered from my Covid jab in the middle to end of November.  If my carer doesn't cook today, it will be almost a month since my last solid meal by the time I feel able to risk eating again, yet apparently he "cooks all her meals" which this week has so far proved is total bollox.

Need to put the rubbish and recycling out when it lightens up out there and I bet my carer will forget to bring the bag and boxes in tomorrow and take them out again a week today, then bring them back in the following Monday and it'll be my fault that it doesn't go out again.  It's only four to six times a year that I ask him to do it, yet it's down to me every week, whether I'm writing or not.

Current totals for Tuesday's grocery shop

I invested in a delivery pass for a year at the end of the week and because NaNo starts on Monday, the vast majority of the next two grocery shops are gonna be for Steve because I'll only be having soup until I've written the final word.

Here is next weeks breakdown of the grocery totals:

My stuff:  £3.00
Steve's stuff:  £30.78
Joint stuff:  £15.83

So Steve's stuff is a smidgen under double the amount of the joint stuff, but just for the two weeks of NaNo and JanNo, that's totally OK by me as long as he doesn't complain when I've finished writing and want more of my own stuff on again.

We're also having our groceries delivered between Tuesday and Thursday each week for the next year 'cos the midweek pass was cheaper to get for a year than for 6 months of the anytime pass so I wasn't gonna turn that down for it to only be a day later than normal just for next week!

Starting on Monday, there will be significantly less blog posts and I won't be doing the caring or shopping whines 'cos every waking hour is gonna be spent writing and just for a change I'm not gonna care for my carer at all or have much of the grocery shop, so I'm gonna concentrate on writing and sleeping just for those two weeks, then recovering from my Covid booster straight after, so you've prolly got the best part of November off from my normal drivel.

I'm now at...

...6 hours and 35 minutes of care today and my carer is still on 5 minutes, so there's no way he can meet the minimum care needed to be classed as a carer this week, 'cos there are only 34 hours and 19 minutes left of the weekend and there's no way he's going to stay awake for that long - especially as he's been asleep for most of every hour that I've been awake so far!  I've just calculated it and he's been awake for 115 minutes so far today.

He's just come back from the bathroom and I can guarantee that he'll be asleep in under 5 minutes... I'll be surprised if he's still awake by the time I publish this blog post tbh - he's putting his earphones into both ears, so I give him under a minute now.

41 minutes to go before...

...I've cared for my carer for 5 hours this morning, so that's pretty much sorted for even more overtime this afternoon and evening - might be another 12 hour day again??

It's looking even less likely that...

...I'll be having any lunch again today 'cos one of Steve's packets of meat has a use by date of today, so I'll have to make him sandwiches which'll mean that it's too unsafe for me to make anything for myself, so it's gonna be yet another purely biscuit lunch again today 😞

Last breakfast photo 'til after NaNo

I finished off the box of cereal for this breakfast and I don't want to open a box just for a single meal, so I'm not gonna be eating anything else now until after I've finished my NaNo novel.  

 

I'm not gonna be having breakfasts and my lunches will be a mug of instant zoop so I won't be taking photos of that either.  I've got my Covid jab in a couple of weeks too, so won't feel up to eating much for at least a week after I've had it, thanks to the nausea, so I'm gonna be having a very empty stomach for the majority of November.  I'm gonna be having a very light breakfast before I go for it, 'cos lining my stomach significantly reduced the time I was feeling sick for.  

 

I'm getting off the point of this whole blog post though, so I'll shut up and upload the photo now lol

We're potentially having a proper, round, pizza at some point after I've recovered from NaNo and the jab so hopefully things will be back to normal by the end of November/start of December.

It's looking doubtful that I'll be having any lunch again today, so it might be biscuits yet again, in which case I won't take a photo, but if I do have a proper lunch then I'll take a photo for you all.

First thing crossed off my daily to-do list

I've just taken my morning pills and I haven't missed a single pill so far this week, which of course means I'll forget my lunch-time one now, so time to go and make my carers breakfast before he falls asleep again for the rest of the morning.

Mornin' all

The rain is hammering it down out there this early morning!

On my to-do list this morning is taking my morning pills, making breakfast for my carer, supporting my friends and carer, doing the news, then trying to get into the right headspace for writing ready for NaNo on Monday.

My carer said last night that he wouldn't be doing any cooking next week "because of your bloody writing thing" and he knows that I won't be supporting him and he'll have to stay awake for the door and phone for a change... but I can guarantee that he won't stay awake for more than an hour each day.

I've got my booster COVID jab on the 11th 'cos that was most convenient for Steve's sister, so I hope I've finished NaNo by then 'cos if it's anything like the first two then I really won't feel up to writing for at least two weeks after it.  I'm gonna try and remember to have a tiny bit of breakfast before I go, 'cos that significantly helped the second time and I've got a few cans of ginger beer and a small amount of crystalised ginger to keep me going too, so hopefully it won't be too bad... just could have done with it being a week or so later than it is lol

Time to crack on with my to-do list now... morning pills first I reckon.

I'm giving up for the day and...

...going to bed at 7.30pm, whether Steve's asleep or not... my body is pleading for an early night, so that's exactly what I'm gonna do.

I'm gonna shut this browser down now, so I'll say nite nite to you all and slowly start shutting down the other open programmes that I've got up right now.

Not even 6pm yet and...

...I've already cared for my carer for over 10½ hours today so 11 hours is looking very likely, maybe even 12 hours again.  I'm not counting my chickens before they've hatched though, so let's add the current 10½ hours to the weekly running total of 44 hours and 2 minutes, which takes us to 54½ so far this week, so we're looking at another 80 hours this week, but I've only received 5 minutes from my carer.  There's no way he'll provide me with 17 hours of care each day of the weekend and I don't reckon I'll even make it to an hour of received care this week.

As predicted...

...I'm not having lunch again and I've had to pay for my carers lunch so that he can eat.

According to my FitBit app, I haven't had more than either biscuits or chocolate for lunch since Saturday 23rd October, when I had those baguette pizza's.  If I've had anything at all for lunch after that it's either been a smoothie, biscuits or chocolate for lunch yet my carer has made sure he's eaten 3 proper meals a day, every day.  Without being pessimistic, I don't reckon my carer will cook at the weekend either because he "wants the day off from doing the cooking all the time" which is the same excuse he's given for the last 6 days and because NaNo starts on Monday, he won't be cooking for at least 10 days then either... I doubt he'll even boil the kettle for my instant soups either, then he won't be able to find the motivation to cook until December, then it'll be January when I'll be living on instant soup for at least 10 days again... not being pessimistic, just realistic judging by the last week.

Ho hum, I should be used to it by now I suppose.

Today's breakfast photo

I remembered to put the milk on this morning!  lol

There was more in the box than I realised, so I'll be having breakfast tomorrow too, but without the juice, so that Steve's got enough to last him for the whole of NaNo.

Here's the photo:

I'm hoping there'll be a photo of an eggy lunch today, but I'm not holding my breath, considering I haven't had any cooked lunches so far this week.  If I do get to eat something for lunch, I think it'll be the first time this week and I'll take a photo of it for you all.

Mornin' all

Had a busy start to the day - I've cared for my carer for over an hour and a half, made our breakfast, taken the recycling and bowls out, taken my pills, run the daily virus scan and made a "posh coffee" in the 2½ hours that I've been down here and my carer is asleep again so the caring hours are continuing.  

 

I've already worked 10 hours overtime as of last night, so I reckon it's gonna be another 80 hour week again yet my so-called carer has cared for me for literally 5 minutes (not a typo, I really do mean 300 seconds) this week, when he took the pop bottles out of the bag and put them on the floor for me to put away on Monday.  Means he's got to care for me for 34 hours and 55 minutes before bed time on Sunday, which is over 11 hours a day, every day until bedtime on Sunday, which even I've only done 2 or 3 times since I've been recording it and he's deeply asleep now so he's adding extra hours onto the weekends caring, which just won't happen so this week is gonna be under an hour, let alone the required 35!

I doubt he'll cook again at lunchtime, so I'll have to make him sarnies again and it's likely to be the same at the weekend too.  He tells everyone that he cooks all my meals for me, yet out of a possible 9 so far this week he hasn't made a single one but I've made at least that for him as well as a couple of his evening meals.

Time to support a friend and then crack on with the news, while I've got a small amount of motivation.  I'm gonna charge up my FitBit while I'm doing that though, and I just hope nobody comes to the door while it's off my ankle.  Need to sort out my breakfast photo for you all too, so I'd best do that now, while I remember.

Off to bed for an early night now...

...nite nite orl, sea ewe in the morning.

As I thought...

...my carer had his lunch then fell asleep pretty much straight after, so after a very light breakfast and no lunch, I'm seriously hungry now but I've gotta wait until I wake up tomorrow morning and go and make our breakfasts.  I'll be having another light breakfast but I'll hopefully finish off the box then not have breakfast until I've finished NaNo and only have a mug of instant soup for lunch each day.  I'm pretty much guaranteed to not have breakfast all weekend 'cos otherwise there will be half a box of wasted cereal.  I'll make my carer's, just not my own.  It's only for a couple of weeks, twice a year but I bet my carer will still expect me to care for him while I'm trying to write.

My carer wants a curry delivered for his tea tomorrow, which he's expecting me to pay for even though I won't even be having a single grain of rice.  He's got an at-home sight test at the start of February which I'll be paying for as well, along with his new frames and lenses which'll pretty much completely use up my entire savings yet he hasn't got me a gift for any occasion since I first became ill in 1999.  He hasn't even picked a flower for me for free, let alone a card, yet I've got him a gift for every occasion since I've known him.

Approaching...

...3 hours of overtime already and my carer wants curry instead of his burgers today, paid for by me and eaten by him but he will be too full to have it for his tea, so he wants his burgers today, nothing for lunch tomorrow, in preparation for his curry for tea tomorrow, which means that I won't have had any lunches for 5 days, I don't have tea 'cos it makes me feel sick when I lay down, so I will have had 7 breakfasts and that's it this week, yet he will have had 21 meals by Sunday.

NaNo starts on Monday so it'll be another 21 meals for my carer and 7 instant soups a week until at least the 10th but I'll be surviving on liquid (soups for lunch and J2O's each time I hit 5k words in one day).

I really have had as much as I can take of him being my carer and telling everyone he does everything for me when in reality he spends less than 2 hours a week caring for me, yet expects 80 hours of care from me without giving me any credit at all.

Mornin' all

How are you all doing this morning?

I've already cared for my carer for over an hour, made two breakfasts, taken my pills and set the monthly virus scan going.  I completely forgot to put milk on my breakfast and wondered why it was so dry by the time I got in here with it - woops!

Here's the photo of my breakfast before the milk:

And here it is just before I dived in... with milk this time lol

The monthly virus scan is 30% of the way through and I'm apparently not having any lunch today 'cos my carer wants his burgers and doesn't want to make two different meals, so I'll be surviving on 330 calories again today... good job that I need to lose 2.25kg eh?  I was hoping to use the weight store during NaNo, but this is my fourth day without lunch, and a very light breakfast, so I'll have to make myself some bread and spread after NaNo so that I can increase my weight again, but as long as my carer eats then that's all that matters, right?

Time to crack on with the news while my carer is asleep.

I'm heading to bed now, sooo...

...I've only gotta care for my carer for exactly an hour tomorrow, then it'll be overtime.  If it's anything like most morning's that hour will be before 🕡6.30am tomorrow and I reckon it'll be at least a 10 hour day again, same as every day so far this week (including today).

I've gotta remember not to open my email programmes tomorrow and set the monthly scan going instead of the daily one.

Nite nite orl.  See you in the morning at some point.

Shoulda known better

Got under 2 hours to care for my carer tomorrow to hit the minimum required for the week to be classed as a carer and so far this week I've had absolutely zero care from my carer.

 

Tomorrow Steve's having breakfast and lunch and I'll only be having breakfast... scratch that - I've just had to dress the back of his thigh again so I'm now wide awake and he'll be asleep within seconds, so I'll have to keep caring for him and fuck my body's need for an early night tonight.  I stand a good chance of hitting 10 hours of care today, despite him being out of the house for almost 2 hours this morning which means there will be an hour and 16 minutes to hit the required time, which I can pretty much guarantee will be done before I make breakfast for him.

 

At least I'll have 10 days off, with any luck, starting on Monday - I'm certainly not gonna spend 10 hours a day caring for him and he'll have to make his own meals 'cos I'm not gonna have breakfast and my lunch will be an instant soup and I'm certainly not gonna make anything just for him for those ten days, so he'll have to put up and shut up as far as I'm concerned.

Virus scan and back-ups finished...

...just gotta remember that it's the monthly virus scan tomorrow, so I need to not open my email programmes again and it'll be going until after lunch again, so that'll be the fourth day this week that I'll be going hungry at lunchtimes and my breakfast won't go anywhere near filling me up for more than a couple of hours, so my belly will be rumbling and I might wake up feeling sick from hunger on Friday, but as long as Steve eats then that's all that matters, right?

Almost time for my lunchtime pill now, so I'd best publish this and take it.

 

As predicted...

Steve's not gonna cook today either so I'm gonna have to go and do his lunch for him for the third day on the trot, yet apparently he "cooks all the meals" so should have cooked 6 meals by now, right?  So far he hasn't made a single meal for me this week and I've made 100% of them for him.

I'm gonna go and make his sandwiches in a bit, then bring in the fruit for my smoothie again.  I'm making a prediction for tomorrow lunchtime - he won't cook then either, so I'll be making both meals for him then too, same on Friday and both days of the weekend, then it's NaNo on Monday so he won't be cooking for me for at least 10 days 'cos I'll be having instant soup for my only meal until I've written the final word and I can pretty much guarantee that he won't want to cook after that either.  Might get two or three cooked meals at the start of December then he'll be "preparing for my mum's huge Christmas dinner" so I'll be going hungry then too, then it's JanNo so I'll be living off instant soup for the first half of January then it'll all start all over again. He'll still tell everyone that he makes every meal and supports me all day, every day though 😠

Today's breakfast photo

Steve has his regular medical appointment this morning and, as normal, he prolly won't want to cook when he gets home, so this is potentially my only meal of the day again:

Mornin' again all

How are you all doing this morning?

I woke up really hungry, for the first time since having my most recent surgery, so I've already had my breakfast and first pills of the day, I even remembered not to open my email programmes 'cos of the weekly virus scan and it's the monthly virus scan tomorrow so I've gotta remember not to open my email programmes then either lol

 

I'm gonna go and resize my breakfast photo for you all, ready to put on here and Instagram.

 

BBIAB

 

Book Review: "An Unusual Boy" by Fiona Higgins

Kindle:

Paperback:

⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

Every book I read starts off with the full 5 stars and I'm always hopeful that I'll close the book with all of 'em still firmly in place.

There are a lot of incredible books out there that I would have happily given the full five stars to... except that they'd used brand names without permission.  I've knocked a star of other books for that reason, so I've very reluctantly removed a star from even the best of books.  Gotta be fair to all books, no matter their quality  ;-)  Same with this book - I want it to end with all five stars in place, but if the author uses brand names without permission, then I'll be taking a star off this book too.

Let's get on with the reading and reviewing now  :-D

I'm on page 4 and I've just been told we're in Australia... I've never left the UK so this should be interesting to see what the similarities and differences are like.  I wonder if the author is gonna deliberately use Australian words like "cobber" or if it'll all be in every day language that I don't have to think about too much?

The first 13 pages are good, but there has just been mention of a social media brand on page 14, so the fifth star is looking wobbly already :-(

Page 26 has got several big brand names, so the fifth star is sliding off and we're already down to four star after only 10% of the book  :-(

For some reason the POV has suddenly changed from the mum to the son and it's a bit weird now 'cos I was only just getting used to being in the mum's head and now, all of a sudden, I've got to get into a child's head!  I'll give it a little while, but the fourth star is already looking wobbly, so soon after the fifth star had to go... it had so much potential in the initial chapters, but now it's just made me incredibly confused!

I've already taken a star off for this, but there are now another three big music star's names being used, potentially without permission... the book started off really well, but that's suddenly changed now which ain't good at all!

Up to chapter 5 now and I'm gonna leave it there for today 'cos I'm absolutely cream crackered, but I'll hopefully be back bright and early in the morning though.

Back now and the POV has changed back to the mother again!  That's three changes in five chapters!  If it changes again before the middle of the book, the fourth star is joining the fifth on the floor unfortunately.

The POV has changed yet again in chapter 6 so the star is sliding off and we are down to three star now  :-(

Up to chapter 11 now and the POVs seem to change every couple of chapters which is sooo confusing... especially as it's written in first person too!

Oh dear!  Poor Jackson doesn't realise or even understand the trouble he could be in now... poor boy!

Oooh, that's screwing with my head a bit lol  Apparently it's cold *until* September in Australia, even though that's when it *starts* cooling down over here in the UK lol

What an inventive mum!  When she said about "Kitchen Science" I thought that was gonna be like learning how to cook rather than disolving eggshells!

Cor lummy!  What a way to end chapter 21!  I can take a wild guess at who was the one causing the problem and I reckon he should be arrested... am I getting too caught up in this book this evening?  lol

Chapter 22 was a huuuge relief... hopefully no permanent damage done?!

What a great ending to a fantastic book!  If it hadn't been for those couple of stars dropping off at the start, then I would have gladly awarded this book the full five... a definite must-read, as long as you can see past those couple of things that I can't.

As I predicted again this morning...

...my carer isn't cooking again, despite promising that he would every time I've mentioned it since the weekend.  His "definitely tomorrow though, promise" is worthless until it actually happens 'cos out of the four meals he says he cooks for me, he's actually cooked bugger all of them and has relied on me to get his meals out of the fridge for him too.  Out of a potential five meals that he's had yesterday and today, they have all been made by me - he hasn't even prepared one of them - not even getting things out of the fridge.

Without being pessimistic, I don't reckon he'll cook at all this week and I've got nothing that I can have (he's got sandwich spreads and a pork pie) that doesn't need cooking, so it'll be dairy-free chocolate and biscuits for me while my carer expects me to make him a proper lunch each day, just like yesterday and today.

I'm gonna go and make myself some bread and spread and make lunch for my carer at the same time.  Again.  Then go and sort out the wild birds' water as well, like my carer promised that he'd help with last week.

Morning all

Had a busy morning so far and I've bought a year's delivery pass at Morrisons, so we can spend the weekly budget purely on groceries without having to calculate the delivery fee for the next year too!  It means I've had to reschedule the next three weeks deliveries to a Tuesday, rather than a Monday, but that's OK as long as I remember to change the third week tomorrow so that we can take full advantage of it.  

 

I've asked Steve about having puds with our lunch every now and then and he agreed "as long as it doesn't mean any more work" so I'm thinking tinned fruit salads or whatever.  It doesn't need to be anything fancy 'cos it's just the two of us, but it'd fill us up a bit more and might get more fruit into our diet too, which can only be a good thing!

I've taken my morning pills and the virus scan was clear again, so I just need to put the breakfast photo up now - t'was a huuuge disappointment this morning 'cos it was so light and bland and I used up such a huge amount of the box just for one breakfast too, so won't be getting them again.

Here's the photo before I forget again:

I'm hoping it'll be scrambled egg and chips for lunch, hopefully with onion rings too (assuming onion rings go with eggs??  Opinions on that please!) but anything at all that's cooked is better than yesterday!

I'm hoping to do a bit more reading and reviewing this afternoon, after I've done the news and hopefully had my lunch... we shall see though.  Need to sort the wild birds' water bowl out at some point too.

Food tomorrow will apparently be...

...choccie Shreddies™ for Steve and Morrisons own brand of Sugar Puffs™ for me for brekkie and scrambled eggs and chips for lunch.  Assuming Steve does the washing up tomorrow then hopefully we'll both be able to have something 'cos I won't be on my feet for 20 minutes just for him.  I won't believe that we'll have lunch until it's right there in front of me though, same as today.

I'm gonna be having a banana and pineapple smoothie for elevenses tomorrow so that we can use up last weeks bananas before they go off again.

I wanna try and build up a bit of weight and energy 'cos I'll only be having instant soup for the first ten days of November 'cos of NaNo which won't give me anywhere near enough calories, so I wanna build up a bit extra this week to keep me going until I've finished writing... it's only twice a year and I'm hoping to write my final word on the 10th this year so that I've got 20 days to get out of the head of my main character and back into real life instead of the fictional world I'll be creating.

I've had the reminder come up to take my last two pills of the day, so I'll take those now and wait until my carer wakes up enough to say goodnight to me, then I'll head to bed for an early night.  Doubt I'll post again before I head upstairs, so I'll say nite nite to you all now.

As I predicted first thing...

...my carer didn't make lunch, so I had to make it for him and he's wasted £5.90's worth of groceries for his lunch alone 'cos he didn't have his sandwich spreads or pork pie before they went out of date again.

I'm having a smoothie for my lunch 'cos my legs gave way as I brought in part two of my carer's lunch, so it isn't safe for me to be out there making myself bread and butter.  If the rest of the week goes as normal then I'll be having nothing to eat if my carer wants to 'cos I very much doubt he'll be cooking this week either.  He's got cake and biscuits and meat and I've got bugger all coming with today's groceries, so it's gonna be another week of me having very little to eat and next week is the start of NaNo so I won't be eating for at least the first 10 days of that, but my carer doesn't seem to give a flying fuck as long as he has something to eat!

My entire calorie count for today is gonna be 1,131 calories, thanks mainly to the 4 wheat biscuits and the litre of soya milk I've had today.  Good job I need to lose 2¼kg really 😏

Today's breakfast photo

I slopped waaay too much soya milk onto the first part, so decided to put the second part in with the first, to dry it up a bit.  I pretty significantly over-sugared too, so overall a sloppy and sugary breakfast  lol

 

Here's the photo:

 

Mornin' all

How are you all doing this morning?

According to my FitBit I had over 9½ hours of sleep and I feel significantly better for it too.

The recyclers are here, so I'm gonna go and bring it all in - brb!

Back now.

I've taken my morning pills, run the daily virus scan (still clear, thankfully), supported a friend and cared for my carer for 90 minutes so far this morning.  When he wakes up I'll go and make his breakfast for him then wait for the rubbish to be collected so that I can bring the sack in and get on with my reading again until our groceries are delivered after lunch.  Without being too pessimistic, I doubt my carer will make our lunch, so I'll have to make it for him again and I won't be eating anything again 'cos I wouldn't be able to stay upright for long enough to do two lunches, just like I can't do both breakfasts without a break in between them.  I might go and make my breakfast now so that I've hopefully recovered enough by the time he wakes up enough to eat his own.

I'm off to beddy-byes now

My carer is attempting to watch the Grand Prix without falling asleep, so I'm gonna sort out the nightly admin on the spreadsheet then head off the bed for an early-ish night.

See you all at some point tomorrow.

Nite nite orl.

Book Review: "Meet Me Under the Northern Lights" by Emily Kerr

Kindle version:
Paperback version:
⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

If you've read any of my more recent book reviews, you'll know that I start them all by saying that each book starts with the full 5 stars and that I'm always hopeful that each star will still be firmly in place when I finish reading it too... this review ain't no different  ;-)

I got an ARC of this book directly from the publishers on 22nd October and it seems like it's another festive read which is fine by me 'cos I've already finished my Yule shopping and I'm planning on spending the next couple of months reading, relaxing and watching everyone else run around increasingly frantically 'cos they can't find the pressie for this person or there won't be any more stock in until after Christmas... it's why I try and get it all done and dusted before the middle of October each year lol  That's beside the point though, this is supposed to be a book review after all lol

Let's get my Kindle out and hope it's charged up enough for me to start reading and reviewing straight away.

Yep, the battery is about half full and I'm liking how the first page got me straight into the action!

I'm 4% of the way through and I'm drooling although thankfully not shivering from cold yet... it's making me want to pay a visit to my local independant grocer though, with that gorgeous description - independant shops aren't given anywhere near enough credit in books for my liking.  I'm glad she's used a fictional name rather than a big brand at the earliest opportunity though... if the author carries on like that throughout then she'll gladly be holding onto a star that I've dropped from other great books for using brand names potentially without permission and potentially getting the author into hot water... fortunately this author has already skillfully side-stepped that though, which is a relief so far.

Oooooh!  I wasn't expecting the end of the first chapter... is the entire book gonna be like the first chapter?  I seriously hope so 'cos I'm really enjoying it so far!

Chapter 2 was good too... all five of them stars are still very firmly in place which is a relief.  I'm cautiously hopeful that I've got a five star book in my hands and I haven't shivered from the cold yet either, which is reassuring.

At 11% the author has used a big brand name instead of a fictional one, so unfortunately that fifth star is wobbling now... it's still in place, but only just - any more mentions and it'll have to come off, just like with the other books I've reviewed unfortunately.

The author has used a famous name now, potentially without permission, so like with the majority of the books I've read recently, the fifth star has unfortunately teetered off and smashed into smithereens on the floor  :-(

Chapter 5 has made me grateful that I'm not a public figure, but it's given me an idea of what to do next time I'm in the bath!

I'm gonna leave it there for tonight and check my email and stuff, before getting stuck in bright and early in the morning.

Mornin' all.  Time to carry on reading and reviewing this book now... I hope it continues to be as good as it was yesterday!

I've read two chapters so far this morning and I've already started shivering at all those freezing descriptions!  Even my coffee is barely tepid now so that won't warm me up either lol  Time to go and make another one before I start on chapter 8 I reckon.  Decaf this time I reckon.

If my hubby logged me out of my social media accounts, like Lucy's friend has seemingly done to her, I'd never remember all the passwords to get back into them lol

I'm enjoying Tommi's way of talking - straight to the point and no humour in anything he's said so far... there could be interesting scenes which involve him from now on lol  I hope his no-nonsense voice continues for the rest of the book!

Up to chapter 12 now and my coffee is stone cold as is my body after all that talk of snow and ice in chapter 11.  Lucy seems to have found a way to help Tommi though... I just hope he can forgive the potential stain she's left for him!

Chapter 12 finished, just in time for lunch... it sounds like Lucy thinks Gurta is a woman, but I'm guessing she's some kind of animal - reindeer maybe?  I'll hopefully find out after I've scoffed down my pizza baguette slices lol

Back now, and my heartrate was matching the speed of chapter 13... looks like this is gonna be a three day book instead of a two day book at the very least - I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far though!

I've read 3 chapters since I had my lunch and this is still one of the better books that I've read recently.  If not for those uses of big names (both of products and people) then it would still be a very solid five stars.  There seems to be something possibly hotting up between Lucy and Tommi... and it's not just the sauna ;-)

Just finished chapter 19 and it reads like maybe Lucy's chat with her boss has maybe cleared the air and maybe even shoved her into an interview in the Arctic Circle??  I'll hopefully find out when I've made another hot drink!  There has been an enormous amount of tension in the last few chapters, so hopefully Lucy will take the conversation she's had with Tommi seriously and become a better woman in a totally different place in the world during the 38% of the book?

I knew it!

Sort of!  lol

Gurta is a...

...you'll have to get the book and read it to find out for yourself  :-P  lol

I'm up to 75% of the way through now and it's almost my bed time again, but there's been another rise in tension, so I don't wanna get too tense to sleep tonight, so I'm gonna leave it there and finish the book and this review hopefully before lunchtime tomorrow.

Back again for the third day... I can't wait to see how the book ends!  Is it gonna be a tear-jerker or a happily ever after?

I'm really feeling the disappointment for Lucy and to have it all come back without Jonno's interest in what she was trying to say is hurting my heart... I know that they are only fictional characters, but I've quickly grown to care about them in this book and I hope there will at least be a sequel if not a trilogy!

OMG.  Wow.  What a team.  WTG Lucy and Tommi.  

Oh.

My.

Goddess.

What a perfect end to a perfect book.  If it hadn't been for the use of those big names then it would have been a very solid five stars throughout.

This book is a must-read if you like feeling loved and warm and cozy... just make sure you've got the heating on if you easily feel cold  ;-)

I think I was wrong in my rant this morning...

...I've checked the spreadsheet and he cooked 3 times this week instead of the once that I thought.  

 

I was wrong and I'm sorry for my mistake.

As predicted...

...my carer didn't fancy making lunch again, so I've just made him corned beef sandwiches and I've got no choice but to chomp my way through a packet of biscuits 'cos he's got the only two clean plates in here and I can't risk staying on my feet any longer to make myself anything.  

 

It's very unlikely that my carer will do anything to care for me this afternoon, so the week's total of care by my carer is only 2 hours and 3 minutes of care this week.  OTOH, my current total of care for my carer so far today comes to 4 hours and 35 minutes so far, so I've more than doubled my carer's care of me in one morning alone than he's achieved all week.  As of last night, the weekly total was 72 hours and 6 minutes, which means that as of now, the weekly total of me caring for my carer is 76 hours and 41 minutes so I've got less than 4 hours of care left this afternoon to hit double the full-time working hours and I've never even been thanked for it, let alone paid.

I'd best take my afternoon pill and refill the box ready for next week now I suppose, then I can carry on reading and reviewing the book.

Mornin' all

I've taken my morning pills, taken the rubbish and recycling out, done the daily virus scan, adjusted the grocery order and had breakfast for the second time this week.

I'm gonna put the breakfast photos in this post instead of starting a new one and apparently we're having "this and that" for lunch because my carer doesn't fancy cooking yet again.

Here are the photos and I definitely put too much milk in the first part 'cos it turned to mush lol

Basically, out of a potential 14 meals, my carer will have cooked 1 lunch and I'll have had 3 breakfasts this week.

Next week will hopefully be different though, 'cos there are lots of boxes of cereal on the grocery order and no bread, so I'll be able to have breakfast more than 3 times next week.  My carer is gonna use up the loaf of bread that is out of the freezer for his tea's and it'll prolly mean that I have to make sandwiches for his lunch too, so he can have cereal on Tuesday without wasting another loaf of bread.  He's just said he wants corned beef sarnies for lunch and some kind of sandwiches for his tea, I won't be able to stand up for long enough to do two lunches, so I'll be going hungry at lunchtime again, seemingly.  So much for cooking "all the meals for her" when in reality it's usually only maybe one or two a week, eh?

The hopefully final totals for tomorrows groceries look like this:

My stuff:  £2.36
Steve's stuff:  £26.82
Joint stuff:  £16.44

So yet again, Steve's stuff is well over half of the total and my stuff doesn't even cost £2.50 yet I'm the one paying for it and the majority of his stuff will go to waste yet again too, same as it does every week.  I mention how much he wastes every week and he promises that the following week will be different, but that, like with the caring, is total bollox.

Time to finish reading and reviewing the book now, hopefully the review will be up before lunchtime so that I can go and make my carer his lunch while I go hungry.

Lunch photo for today (23rd October 2021)

Just had my second (and potentially last) lunch of the week and my body instantly dived into it so that it could put the different things (carbs, proteins, fats etc) to good use:

The tongs slipped off the bread and onto the cheese and tomato topping, which is why there's one piece that looks weird, but I wasn't gonna turn it down 'cos I was so ravenous and grateful for it!

I was wrong this morning and I'm sorry for that mistake

If you read this morning's ranty blog post, you will know that I was doubtful of actually getting any lunch again today.  I was wrong to doubt my carer 'cos he's just put the pizza baguettes into the oven and they'll be ready to bring in and eat in about 15 minutes from now (they've already been in the oven for about 5 minutes lol).  It'll be my first proper meal since lunchtime on Tuesday, which was the last time I had breakfast too, so my body is looking forward to having something other than chocolate and mince pies in it for the first time in 4 days.

I've just been given the 10 minute warning so I'm gonna publish this then go and get my lunch.  Be back this afternoon, with a full belly at last.

Mornin' all

How are you all doing this morning?

My carer said he "put the dishes in to soak overnight" and they are still in the sink so yet again I'm going without breakfast, but had to make breakfast for him.  When I told him that he said to "use the big bowl and double layer the Weetabix™ so that you don't have to have it in two parts this time".  I went out to get the bowl and spoon, but there was still milk left in the bottom of the bowl which my carer said was water, despite being white and smelling like milk, so no breakfast again after all.  

 

Apparently we're having the pizza slices for lunch today, but I won't believe that until I see it.  The last time I ate a meal (as opposed to picking at fruit and chocolate) was Tuesday yet my carer has had three meals every day so far this week... hardly fair is it?

 

Time to take my morning pills and get on with the reading now... pills first I reckon.

➰➰➰

OK, that's the pills down the hatch and breakfast eaten (two bars of Pure Heavenly chocolate) so that's possibly all I'll be eating today, 'cos there aren't any mince pies left, which is what sent my calories through the roof yesterday. 

➰➰➰

I keep forgetting to run the virus scan, so I'm always grateful that I've got it set to run automatically every morning!

Time to get on with the reading and reviewing now... BBL!

Just done the adding up for...

...the caring over the weekend and the groceries that are coming on Monday and the sums look like this:

Caring wise, I've just gotta do under 9½ hours on both days to go over 80 hours (currently at 60 hours and 55 minutes) and my carer has to do over 16 hours both days to just about scrape through the 35 hours, yet apparently I'm not the carer 🤷

Groceries wise, the current break-down looks like this:

My stuff:  £0.00
Steve's stuff:  £28.83
Joint stuff:  £15.36

So yet again, Steve's stuff is by far the most expensive by well over a tenner and I'm left with nothing again.  It was good for those few days I had a few bottles of pop on there, but they were taken off to make room for Steve's cereal and milk that I can't have.  I can guarantee that Steve'll run out of his pop before the end of the weekend too and will guilt-trip me into sharing at least one, more likely two, of my bottles of pop with him so I'll have even less to drink next week, so I'll be back to drinking water again, while Steve guzzles pop, yet the money comes out of my account even though I don't usually get even £5 of stuff on the groceries.

Next week is the last week before NaNo starts too, so Steve'll have the entire week's shop for at least the first two weeks of November too, then won't like it when I ask for a few bottles of pop in the third week, despite not having had anything at all for the previous three weeks.  Apparently I'm being selfish though 🤷

I'm heading off to bed now, but I'll be back bright and early in the morning when I'll be spending the whole day reading and reviewing a book that's due out at the end of the year.

Nite nite orl.

As predicted...

...my carer didn't make lunch today after all, so my entire diet today has been 3 mince pies and a bar of chocolate.  Good job that the mince pies are over 500 calories each, but it's pretty frustrating that my carer promises something will happen the next day then suddenly doesn't feel like it when it comes to actually doing it.  Same with his sight test, he promised all day yesterday and again when I made his breakfast that he would definitely sort it out today but surprise surprise he didn't do that either.

It's Friday today yeah?  So he's had 10 opportunities to cook food (porridge for breakfast and a cooked lunch) but has only actually only cooked once (on Tuesday, when he cooked my Butternut Squash for me) so far this week, which is 9 less meals than he tells everyone he cooks and I can't see him cooking at the weekend either and unless I go and wash up now, I won't be having breakfast tomorrow either, yet he'll assume that every time I leave the living room it's to make his breakfast for him.

Next week is the last week he has the opportunity to cook before NaNo21 starts and I'll be living off instant soup for at least 10 day so won't be having any breakfast or making him anything which I can almost guarantee that he'll kick up a fuss about but it's been the same for a decade but his guilt trip will work every morning at the expense of my writing.  Again.

I've had as much as I can take of being the unpaid, unrecognised carer, but I don't have a choice about it, do I?

My carer has cared for me for 99 minutes so far this week, as opposed to the minimum of 25 hours it should be by now.  He has to care for me for over 15 hours a day, on each of the days of the weekend, but I can guarantee that I'll actually get less than half an hour a day, if anything at all, just like today, yet I've been putting in 10-12 hour days every day without even being thought about as a carer, let alone recognised as one and I've never been paid a penny, yet my carer gets support, recognition for caring for me for under 5 hours a week, maximum, and he's only done that literally once or twice in the last 18 weeks that I've been recording it.

 

I've just had the reminder come up for my last two pills of the day, so I'm gonna take those then have an early night I reckon... might actually get a few hours of deep sleep tonight, now that my cold has finally disappeared other than the occasional cough or sniff.

➰➰➰

OK, that's the pills down the hatch, so I'm gonna publish this then head to bed for an early night now.

Nite nite orl.

Gift Review: I love you plaque

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

I bought this as a gift for my mum's birthday as a unique and honest gift about my feelings for her.  I finish every phone call by telling her that I love her but I think she thought I just said it out of routine until she opened this gift but I think she realises that I'm speaking from my heart every time I talk to her now. Definitely a good buy by me for her birthday gift.

Blender Review: Breville Blend Active Personal Blender & Smoothie Maker

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

I bought this with one of my birthday vouchers and I've loved it since my very first smoothie using it!

It's quick and simple (but very noisy) to use and an incredible way to increase your way to getting more of your 5 daily portions of fruit and veg.

I've used it with raspberries and blueberries along with soya milk ('cos I'm allergic to animal dairy) and it's a quick (done from start to finish in under 15 seconds), easy and delicious way to get the goodies into you without any hassle.

Next up for me to try is blackberries (when they're in season, obviously) and bananas (which will take a few more seconds to blend 'cos they aren't as juicey as blueberries and rasperries but in the 2 weeks I've had this brilliant machine, I've had more fruit and protein (from the soya milk) in my body than the rest of the year combined.

If you wanna get more fruit into your diet but don't fancy the preparation of the fruit, then invest in this machine and a couple of punnets of raspberries (I recommend 20 per 600ml to start with, then adjust it according to your preferences) and a couple of tubs of blueberries (45-50 berries  to start off with if you're having just a blueberry smoothie or 30-35 if you're combining them with the raspberries), and invest in a couple of litres of milk.  Keep the smoothie machine in the same area you spend most of your time and the bottles in the kitchen so that you can just grab the bottle, fruit, blades and cap at the same time.  I've got my machine in it box within reaching distance of the sofa so that I can just bring the fruit, milk, top and blades in at the same time, then just splash the milk into the bottle until it hits the appropriate mark (either 300ml or 600ml), open the punnets of your chosen fruit, count in the amount of berries you like, screw on the blades, turn the bottle upside down, attach it to the machine, put your ear defender things on, press the button for up to 10 seconds, detach the bottle from the machine, turn it the right way up, unscrew the blades, replace with the cap and drink.  That really is all there is to it.  

Washing it up couldn't be easier either - drain the goodness out of the bottle, fill it with 300ml of water, screw on the blades, shake vigourously for 10-20 seconds (depending on how dirty the bottle is), unscrew the blades, empty out the water, refil with clean water and repeat the shaking with the lid in place et voila!  Done and dusted in under a minute!

I definitely reccommend this to absolutely everyone as a quick and easy (but very loud) way to easily get more good stuff into your body - I don't know what I did without it in my life now!

Clothing review: Roman Originals Women Capri Trousers Cropped Pants

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5

I bought these with one of the vouchers I got for my birthday, put them through the wash the next day (same as I do with all new dark coloured clothes) and tried them on for the first time after I got out of the bath a day later... this would be the make it or break it for me - I'm petite (125cm/5 foot) so I was thinking/hoping they would be that bit longer on me... maybe down to my ankle or something?

I pulled them on and they were a little tight around my middle, but that's normal for all new (and even some older clothes that have just been washed and not put away yet) but that little bit of tightness gave my bum a very slight lift for the first time in my life.

They gave my belly a bit more of a bulge than I would have liked, but that's purely 'cos I've got a lot of flab around my belly and is the same with other clothes that aren't baggy so still a solid 5 stars.

I then discovered the two pockets over my bum... ideal for tissues for hayfever/cold seasons.

I put my socks on and discovered that their stretch was just the perfect amount to be able to pull them to the top of my knees so that I could put my socks on then pull the legs back down to my ankles without pulling my socks down with them, like leggings tend to do, which tends to stress me out more than it should.

When I pulled the legs back down, they ended up just about at the top of my ankle bone which is the perfect length for me.

I was starting to like these trousers more than I expected, so I decided to give them the ultimate test - my huuuge thighs.  Leggings tent to make them look even bigger than they are which always makes me really self-conscious, but these trousers have somehow managed to noticeably shrink them to a more normal size which is a very rare occurrence for my body.... they were quickly becoming my favourite trousers and I'd only been wearing them for 15 minutes lol

Lunch would be the next test - if they could handle my belly expanding from a huge lunch without digging in then they would be perfect to me.  As I was eating I was subconsciously checking to see how much I could eat before I became uncomfortable and had to stop eating.

I had seconds and the trousers were still incredibly comfortable around my belly... the ultimate test would be the traditional Christmas meal with my in-laws 'cos I totally pig-out that day and I'm usually bloated and barely eat on Boxing Day, so that's the next challenge for these trousers lol

The one and only thing that could be changed to make these the ideal trousers for me would be to make the belly bit as forgiving as the thigh bit... my thighs halved in size but my belly seemed to stay the same size.  

Still a very solid five stars though and I'll be getting more of them... a definite wardrobe must-have for any petite ladies out there with large thighs!

Mornin' all

How are you all doing this morning?  Me?  I'm doing considerably better than I was a week ago... my body is still fighting the last little bits of my awful cold, but it's hopefully mostly gone now and I'm hoping that it'll be gone completely by early next week so that I can finish preparing for NaNo.

I had a very late morning this morning - didn't even wake up until 6.18am according to my FitBit and I've been caring for my carer ever since.  I've taken my morning pills and finished the daily virus scan (still clear), so as soon as I've finished charging up my FitBit, I'll put it back around my ankle and go and make my carer's breakfast for him when he wakes up.  I've already worked 16½ hours overtime this week and Friday has barely started, so 80 hours is looking likely, maybe even scrape through 85 hours?

My carer has just (temporarily?) woken up, put his legs down and turned his light off, my FitBit is 98% charged up, so just for a change I'm gonn... he's fallen asleep again, so maybe I won't do his breakfast yet after all?

Gonna make a start on the news while I'm waiting I reckon.

TTFN.

Just taken...

...my last two pills of the day and I'm gonna have another early night I reckon.  I feel significantly better than I have over the last 2-3 days, but I'm still feeling pretty grotty, so wanna try and have a few early nights to help my body to recover from the lack of sleep and huge disturbances in the small amounts of sleep I did have and it'll hopefully help my immune system to finally kick the last remaining bits to the kerb so that I can hopefully recover in time for NaNo in a couple of weeks.

Nite nite orl and I'll see you back here hopefully bright and not too early in the morning.

Lunch photos for today (21st October 2021)

As promised it was burgers (veggie for me, meaty for 'im) and a decent dollop of lite mayo on each burger so that they weren't quite so dry lol

Apparently we're having "something eggy" for lunch tomorrow, "possibly with chips if you want?" so it's looking like it'll be fried eggs and chips or omelette and chips or possibly scrambled eggs, so that we can do something about our egg mountain lol

Only one month since March this year...

...that I haven't bailed Steve out at least once a month for something or other.

Just before he dished up lunch, he said that he'd had a letter from the NHS saying that he was 3 months behind on his PPC payment "and there's no way I can afford to pay for all my dressings every month without it, so can you bail me out again, and I promise this'll be the last time" so I've just bailed him out for the 7th time this year - there's only been one month where I haven't needed to bail him out on something, even though he's the main income earner of both of us and he can afford patreon things every month, clothes, music subscriptions, charity payments, Spotify subscriptions and everything else, yet has come to rely on my to bail him out for important things like his prescription and even the mortgage and water so far this year, yet I've gone without things I've wanted because, you know, I can't afford it and there are more important things to use my money for.

I can't remember the last time I got new clothes as opposed to off eBay, yet Steve seems to be able to afford brand new clothes whenever he wants them.

He now owes me a total of £2,265 and if he brings up that he bailed me out on a couple of minimum credit card payments all those years ago, I can say to him that I took £1,586.90 off what he owed me last year to pay it back (for at least the fourth or fifth time) but if he wants to deny that, then he owes me getting on for £4,000 which he will deny, but I've been keeping a record since 30th January 2020 'cos I was fed up of bailing him out and then him denying it.  I've been keeping a record of where the money has gone from and to as well as the reason and the repayment promise date too... the actual repayment column is sitting there untouched so far this year too.

Breakfast photo's on 21st October 2021

There's 3 photos today 'cos my carer wanted me to try one of the cartons of juice with my breakfast this morning.

We're having burgers for lunch today, and I think I'm into the routine of taking photos of each meal now, so hopefully I'll remember to take a photo of my lunch for you all too.  It's always a pretty easy meal for Steve to make 'cos it's literally just (veggie) burger patties in a bread roll, occasionally a dollop of mayo if Steve's feeling particularly generous but it's usually just the two pieces of food, but that's better than nothing I suppose.

Mornin' all

How are you all doing this morning?

I'm feeling considerably better this morning, thankfully.  I've still got the dreggs of my cold, but nowhere near as bad as I was for the last couple of days!

 

The virus scan was clear again, which I'm always grateful for 'cos I'd get into a right tizzy if it ever found one - I'd prefer to be better cautious than infected though.

 

My pills went down pretty easily this morning, so I'm hoping that means that today will be a good day for me.

I've found another 6 short courses that I wanna take, so I've added them to the list now.

I've already cared for my carer for well over 2 hours this morning and stopped him losing his "tray" and smashing one of his mugs to smithereens that he'd balanced on the arm of his chair and with even the slightest movement of his arm they would have fallen to the floor and smashed to pieces which would, of course, be my fault 😠 

I've got my first photos of the day of my breakfast all sorted and ready to put up here on my blog and also on Instagram, so I'll go and do that now, before I forget again.

Just taken my last pills of the day and...

...I'm most of the way down my second honey and lemon it the last half an hour-ish which has made my throat feel loads better already and I haven't coughed since the first couple of mouthfuls, so I highly recommend it if you're currently in the throes of this awful cold that's doing the rounds. It's completely knocked me off my feet for the last couple of days and I've had incredibly disturbed nights of sleep for the previous two nights, but I'm now cautiously hopeful that I'll have a better night's sleep tonight.

News on 20th October 2021

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20th October 2021

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Ted Lasso: Why Keeley and Rebecca's Friendship is Incredibly Meaningful

Unlikely Friendship With A Whale & Dog Teaches Table Manners

Lunch photo for today (20th October 2021)

Waaaaay too much sugar for today's lunch, so I ended up only having one mince pie instead of all three but I scoffed all the biscuits because they were all chocolate biscuits and I've never been able to resist a chocolate biscuit (or 11) 'cos I've always been a chocaholic since I very first tasted it in childhood, although I preferred the natural sweetness of fruit, I couldn't resist chocolate either if it was in the house lol

Here's today's lunch photo:

I've blanked out the naughty word in case there are any small eyes about.

I've just drained my glass of pop so I'm gonna go and wash the glass out then refill it with water so that I don't get diabetes from today's sugar overload 😉

Breakfast photos for today (20th October 2021)

Took these photos about 5 hours ago but couldn't put them up until now 'cos of the weekly virus scan and backups.  It's zoop for lunch that I'll take a photo of when I go and make it after I've put these up and taken my afternoon pill:

I finished off the box of wheat biscuits with part two of my breakfast and put the box into our paper/cardboard recycling box, so we've only got 48 left now, which is 12 breakfasts for one person, which is me until Steve's finished off his three jars of marmalade and I'm thinking that we can leave our regular two boxes off Monday's order lol

Virus scan finished, backups started

The virus scan finished while I was making my carers breakfast and it didn't find anything that shouldn't be there, which was reassuring, so the backups are under way now, then as soon as that's finished I'll put up my breakfast photos and make a start on the news.

I've just told my carer that during NaNo he'll either have to have his breakfast as soon as I come down at 5.30am, before I start writing, or make his own for a change.  I'm gonna make mine very first thing (but won't take any photos during NaNo) as soon as I come down, then take my pills and that'll be it then 'cos I'll have my headphones on and completely zoning out for those 10-15 days so my carer will have to care for himself just for a change.  It's only for 20-30 days a year, so I think I'm allowed to have that break and just do what I want to do - after all, I care for my carer for over 75 hours a week, for the rest of the year, so I refuse to not be selfish just for those few days a year.

Mornin' all

How are you all doing this morning?

I'm feeling considerably better than I was last night, but I've still got a lot of this cold to fight off... my eyes are still going weird, but at least I can breathe through my nose again now.  According to my FitBit, I was only awake once but restless 22 times, but that's considerably better than waking up 9 times and not being restless at all like I was yesterday morning, right?

I've just taken my morning pills and restarted the virus scan but successfully remembered not to open my email programmes this morning, so I'm hoping it'll be finished before 8am.

I've already cared for my carer for 72 minutes this morning and now that he's awake, I'll go and make his breakfast for him when he's come back from the bathroom but I bet he'll fall asleep before he's eaten it... just like yesterday.

He's just come back through, so time to make his breakfast and hopefully something for myself too, considering it's soup for lunch today.

BBL.

Feeling ruff as chuff tonight, so...

...I'm gonna take my last two pills of the day and head straight to bed.

Nite nite orl.

That's me dosed up for the next 3.5 hours

Just taken my afternoon pill, so I'm all dosed up until tonight now.

I'm feeling absolutely hideous but that doesn't seem to matter to my carer, as long as I support him for over 10 hours a day.  Hopefully I'll get some fresh lemons tomorrow to try and knock this cold on it's head a bit quicker.

Today's (19th October 2021) lunch photo

I had a huuuge Buttenut Squash for lunch, and I'm glad there wasn't any additional sugar on it 'cos it was naturally sweet enough.  Didn't have cheese either 'cos it was 20 days out of date lol

After having breakfast this morning too, I'm just nicely full - if I'd only had one or the other I'd have been hungry before I went to bed.

Here's the photo of my lunch:

I was wrong again this morning, sorry about that

I think I doubted that I'd be having the butternut squash for lunch or that I would have to make it myself, when I posted this morning didn't I?

If I did, I've just been proved wrong and I apologise for that 'cos Steve's just gone into the kitchen, prepared it and shoved it into the oven for me and I apologise for my mistake.  I'll try and remember to take a photo of it but I'm definitely having butternut squash, potentially with grated cheese in the hole for lunch, for the first time this season and I can't wait!

Breakfast photos for 19th October 2021

It might sound a bit far-fetched and unbelievable, but after having both parts of my breakfast, I feel considerably less snotty and more awake now.  I've still got my cold, but I've only needed to blow my nose and sneeze once, instead of constantly, since my first couple of mouthfuls.

 

I was also wrong on this morning's previous blog post when I said it was about a week since I last had breakfast - it was actually on the 16th and my last proper lunch was last Tuesday when we had the pizza baguettes and the time before that was on the Sunday when we pigged out on the roast.

 

That's beside the point though.  Here are this mornings two photos:

 

 

Mornin' all

According to my FitBit I had 9 hours and 47 minutes of sleep last night and was awake 9 times but not restless even once but I'm feeling absolutely hideous this morning.

I wanna go back to bed, but Steve's got a couple of deliveries coming this morning which he's assuming I'll bring in for him, so I can't.

I've taken my morning pills and squirted the B12 too, so hopefully that'll kick in soon 'cos he wants me to make his breakfast too... doesn't seem to matter that I'm not feeling up to doing anything and my body is pleading with me to go back to bed.

I'm gonna make myself some breakfast to see if that helps to ease how I'm feeling at all 'cos "it's too early for my breakfast" according to my carer, so I'm gonna do mine first then hope I've recovered in time for when my carer decides it's time for his breakfast.

He's just woken up and said that he's "gonna be like a 4 year old and have cake for breakfast" so I'll be able to have breakfast for the first time in getting on for a week this morning after all.

See you all later.

Just taken my last two pills of the day...

...a little bit early but my body is starting to shut down now and I wanna be in bed before it totally gives out and I can't move.

I didn't quite hit the 15 hours of care today, but the 14 hours I did achieve is my most since using the spreadsheets, so I'm feeling pretty good with that.  Gonna head to bed now though, before my body refuses to go upstairs any more or even leave the sofa, so I'll see you all in the morning, just hopefully nowhere near as early as this morning lol

Nite nite orl... see you in the morning when my body has recovered - hopefully at a more human time that 5.30am lol

I was semi wrong again this morning

I think I doubted that Steve would help to put the groceries away.

I was semi wrong.

The deliverer bagged up the groceries, Steve put them the other side of his body for me to take into the kitchen then he did actually help to put some of the groceries away - he swang the bags closer to the fridge and freezer and the same with the pop then went for a wee while I put it all away, so I got 16 minutes of care out of him that I didn't think I'd get this morning which makes me wrong and I apologise for that.

 

I've just hit 10 hours of caring for my carer which is my daily aim, so I'll hopefully hit 15 hours by 7.15pm then head straight off to bed after such a tiny amount (3 hours - not a typo) of sleep overnight, so my body is screaming for a rest in total desperation.

I've gotta bring our rubbish bag in before I forget first though.

Just had the subsitution email

There were a fair few substitutes today and there will be three days next week where I don't have anything at all for breakfast because the 3 multipacks of 4 (so 12) orange juices have been replaced with 3 multipacks of 3 cartons (so 9) which means that after Steve's had his 7 cartons there will only 2 left for me and his marmalades (which I don't like) were in stock along with the bread, so I'll be having 2 cartons of juice and bugger all else for breakfast next week but he will be having a full breakfast every day.

 

The buns for our burgers are out of stock and haven't been substituted so that's one less lunch for me (Steve won't want to cook two separate burgers so it'll just be him having 4 burger patties and the sweetcorn on the cob) and the sultana and cherry slab cake that we were gonna share, has been replaced with a lemon one, so that's for Steve on his own too.

 

Basically I've got 2 breakfasts (the 2 left over orange juices) and 2 lunches (pizza baguettes and a butternut squash that Steve doesn't like) to last me for 14 meals next week, but Steve's got enough for 3 meals a day for all 7 days (so 21 meals) and he doesn't seem to have a problem with that.  

 

It's getting me prepared for NaNo I suppose.

The final breakdown of the total for todays groceries looks like this:

My stuff:  £7.31
Steve's stuff:  £23.53
Joint stuff:  £9.60

So, as always, Steve's stuff is significantly (as in nearly 2½ times) the most expensive, despite it being a fairly even split between his stuff and joint stuff yesterday yet he's complaining about his missing lemon muffins even though he will have an entire cake to himself rather than us sharing it!

Ho hum.

2 hours and 45 minutes left before...

...I hit 10 hours of care today so the 15 hour day is still looking pretty likely and I'd still be able to have a reasonably early night too, which my body is currently pleading for, but I have to stay awake 'cos of the groceries being delivered and potentially having to deal with them completely alone 'cos of my carer being asleep again.

Gonna go and see if our rubbish has been collected yet... brb!

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Nope, the rubbish is still out there and I'm barely audible 'cos of this blimmin' cold, so I'll have to hope I can persuade my carer to call them later to report a missed collection for the whole street... bet he won't do it though, same as each time before.

I'm gonna leave you all in peace for a bit now 'cos my body needs a break and my eyes need a rest without falling asleep before bed-time tonight.

They are potentially reversing down the road now, so hopefully I won't need to call them after all.  I'm hoping that the groceries will be early today so that it's one less thing to deal with this afternoon when I'm feeling so grotty.

Nope, I was wrong - they still aren't here so the sound must have been part of the song that was playing on the radio.

Over 5 hours now, soooo...

...the rest of the day is significant overtime.  If my maffs is correct and my carer sleeps for most of today (as is normal for him) I'll hit 15 hours of care at about 6.15pm and the care I receive from my carer will still, at a guess, be zilch today.  Assuming he stays awake for long enough to bag up our groceries at the front door and helps to move the pop bottles into their usual home, that'll be 5 minutes, tops, today, although judging by his levels of sleepiness so far, he'll be asleep through it all, and won't even be awake for long enough to bag up the groceries.

Blimey charlie!

It's 7.47am and my days to-do list is already completed!

Gotta baby-sit the laundry and bring the rubbish and recycling containers in as well as taking our groceries through to the kitchen and putting them away, but they are all dependent on other things that I have no control over, so as of now, my to-do list of things that are within my control is completely empty.  

 

Being awake and downstairs before 🕜 1.30am has its advantages after all I s'pose! 😆

Another day with...

...very little (if any) food.

I've just made my carers breakfast and was looking forward to my breakfast too 'cos I'm really hungry for some reason this morning, but discovered that both bowls had water in them so I had the choice of one or other of us having breakfast 'cos I couldn't have safely stayed on my feet for long enough to do my carers toast as well as washing up, then drying up, then sorting out my own breakfast.

It's Monday today, so my carer won't cook today 'cos of our grocery delivery coming this afternoon, so my calorie count for today will be 42 calories from the orange juice that I'm having for breakfast and bugger all else.

As long as my carer eats and sleeps, that's all that matters, seemingly.

Totals of care at 7.16am:

Care of me by my carer:  0 hours and 0 minutes
Care of my carer by me:  4 hours and 27 minutes

So it's not even 7.20am and I've only got 33 minutes of care left to give to hit today's minimum.  An easy 15 hours today I reckon, judging by this morning.

Not even 5.30am yet, but I've already...

...cared for my carer for exactly 3 hours this morning, doing various things, so I'm guessing it'll be 5 or 6 hours by the time I bring the rubbish and recycling things back in, then I'll make his breakfast and I reckon getting on for 10 hours by the time we get our groceries delivered and put away, then I'll make his lunch and it'll be an easy 15 hours by the time I head to bed... it might even be close to a 20 hour day if I have a late night and my carer spends most of the day asleep.  If it is a 15-20 hour day today, then I'll only have 15-20 hours left to care for him for the rest of the week combined, which I reckon I'll achieve before Wednesday lunchtime.

 

My watch has just woken up to tell me it's 5.30am so the current running total is 3 hours and 21 minutes of care so far today and he's deeply asleep so won't be waking up any time soon.

Time to crack on with the news now, I reckon.

Mornin' all

I've been awake and down here since 1.18am after exactly 3 hours of sleep (no typo's) 'cos of this dratted cold and I've been caring for my carer ever since.

 

I've spent the last two hours supporting a friend too, so I reckon it'll be a 15 hour day of caring for my carer and I doubt my carer will cook today, just like he never does on a Monday and I'll have to make his breakfast for him, possibly at the expense of my own again, but he doesn't seem to care about that, as long as he eats and sleeps whenever he wants to then that's all that matters apparently.

The daily virus scan has finished and my laptop is still free of viruses and malware, thankfully and I was paid just before I woke up so I've been able to move a little bit of cash over into my savings 'cos all the monthly bills have been paid now, so I've assigned the shopping budget until my next pay day long as we don't go over budget with Steve's food at the expense of my own.  

 

It's the start of NaNo in exactly 2 weeks so he'll have the total budget to himself and I reckon he'll be reluctant to give any of the budget back to joint stuff and there won't even be a fiver left for my drinks for the rest of the year, so I'll be living on pretty much literally water until at least part-way through January, same as every year in the past.  I've got enough instant soup to see me through the first 16 days of NaNo (assuming Steve doesn't have any instant soup of course), but that's it then, nothing left for me at all.

I'm gonna take my morning pills now, while my carer is snoring his head off.  BBIAB.

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OK, that's me dosed up until lunchtime now, and I've remembered to add the squash I used to take them with to my FitBit app, so I'm ready to rock and roll for the rest of the day now.

I've already read and replied to all my emails and I've currently got 9 survey invitations waiting for me, so I'll do those while my carer is asleep - I'll prolly be rejected for most of them though 😏