Friday Five!

Friyay!  Friyay!

1.  My last day of garden leave is on Monday.  I start my new job on Tuesday.  I'm still over the moon that I had options in this "market".

2.  Finally got the keys to the allotment this week.  We are going over this afternoon to see if all this week's rain has made the ground easier to turn over.  If it's too hard, we are going to rent a cultivator.  £30 for a day and it'll make it much easier we suspect.

3.  Tomorrow we pay the balance on our cruise for my 40th.  Spoke to the cruise line last week and the guy on the phone says he gives it a 10% chance of going.  <sigh>  It is what it is.  Just a bummer that it was planned a year in advance and all.  I fully expect it to be cancelled, but if for some reason it sails, we will be on it.  If it's cancelled we can choose a refund or a voucher for 125% of the cost for a future cruise. 

If it's cancelled, I will stay 39 until 2021.  I will turn 40 then and 42 in 2022. 

4.  Christmas at Kew opened for bookings yesterday which is awesome.  Smaller numbers and more spaced out time starts.  Refunds offered if it is cancellled. 

5.  Only other item on the calendar not yet cancelled is Ricky Gervais in October.  Andre Bocelli has rescheduled for 2021 which was also scheduled for October.  Time will tell!

My Friday Five:

1. I'm down to my last few days on Ascension! My flight is supposed to be leaving next Wednesday morning... though as with everything here, nothing is set in stone and there's a chance it might change (it's already changed once: I was originally supposed to leave next Friday afternoon)

2. As much as I'm looking forward to getting back (I've been here too long!), I'm not looking forward to wearing a face covering for the entire 13-hour journey (despite everyone onboard being virus-free) and then doing 14 days of quarantine (again, despite being virus-free).

3. I'm also going to have to work from home during quarantine, despite having just worked 5.5 months straight with no time off (today is my first day off this month and only my 3rd day off since mid-May). Even though the government stated we shouldn't be penalised annual leave-wise for having to quarantine, my boss says that the only way I can take time off when I get home is if I use my annual leave during quarantine... otherwise I have to work from home . Since I don't want to waste my leave, I guess I'll be working from home (they are really short on the July roster and really need me to work, so I would feel guilty not helping out, especially as it's not like I can even leave my house for the 2 weeks).

4. My flight to Rome on June 30th finally got cancelled which means I've been able to apply for a refund (fingers crossed it doesn't take too long). I was getting a bit worried, because easyJet went from saying all flights could be changed for no fee up to the day of the flight, to saying flights can only be changed for no fee up to 14 days before the flight... and I was worried it wouldn't be cancelled in time for me to change with no fee. Thankfully they cancelled it 15 days before the flight

5. My leave request for my rescheduled Italy trip in December was approved - the boss let me take it even though it goes 2 days into our Christmas 'leave ban' because I've been messed around here on Ascension.

Congratulations on the job @KFdancer 👏🏻

🤣 I like this idea! Is it too late since my birthday was in April?

If it's cancelled, I will stay 39 until 2021.  I will turn 40 then and 42 in 2022. 

Congratulations on the job @KFdancer 👏🏻

🤣 I like this idea! Is it too late since my birthday was in April?

Never too late!

Happy Friday!!
Albatross have fun seeing OH! 
KristieP2018, jet black handrails sound lovely!! 
KFDancer, congrats on the job!!! Well done!!! 
ksand24, safe travels!!! 

1.) Nothing like chickens waking the entire neighbourhood up at 4:00 am. And my husband prodded me to get up and go see what they were up to ,so that we wouldn't get complaints.  There was nothing wrong. They're normally actually very quiet (the old chickens I had loved to squak, but not these girls), but I'm not sure why the hell they were squawking like mad this morning!! 

2.) Need to find Father's Day presents.  And then do a socially distanced shuffle with my FIL. Easy enough with my Dad to be socially distanced. 

3.) Thrilled to have finally gotten my US Coronavirus stimulus check.   Feel grateful I'm working so I can use it on things I want, rather than things I need.   

4.) Love it when it's Scottish strawberry season. So tasty! 

5.) Have booked some time off work for next week. Can't go anywhere, can't do anything, but nice to not be sitting in front of the screen for a few days too. 

Fri-YAY!!! 

1.  Booked yesterday and today off work for Glasgow Real Ale Festival, which of course did not go ahead.  But it's nice having the days off anyway, as i've got a few errands/tasks that need doing, including bottling my elderflower wine, picking up my boots that have been held hostage in the shoe repair shop since mid-March, and spending god-knows-hpw-long on the phone to Virgin Media.

2.  Got Jimmy a new collar... a rainbow-striped martingale affair, which looks stunning against his shiny black fur.

3.  Tomorrow is my OH's birthday, which will be low-key due to lockdown, but I'm baking him some brownies and will treat him to a takeaway from Grillicious or Yadgar -- whatever he fancies.  And i've got him a mixed case of Omnipollo beers, which i hope he'll like.

4.  We were promised thunder and lightning yesterday, but it looks like it's definitely going to happen today!

5.  Six more paydays till Christmas.

Albatros - you are counting down to Christmas!  Wonderful!

Enjoy OH’s birthday Albatross!

1.) Had yesterday and today off work, enjoying the glorious 20-22C weather!

2.) My Mom turns 70 on Tuesday, so will have a virtual party with her. Was originally supposed to be heading there, in a week or so, as she was gonna have a mega all day party with all kinds of bands and entertainment and food galore, but alas, no way! 

3.) Need to do housework. Oh boy. 

4.) Wish my husband liked camping as there are amazing spots to wild camp around here, far from people.  I have all the gear, as I love music festivals, but nope, not happening for him. I could go myself. Hmmm. 

5.)  Gonna order more ingredients. Hmmm, what should I make next? 

Albatros - you are counting down to Christmas!  Wonderful!

I saw her number 5 and immediately thought of you! 

Hi everyone!

• It’s been nice to enjoy the sunshine the last few days - met up with a couple we’re friends with yesterday for socially distanced ice cream & a walk by the sea yesterday after work.
• Not a lot of other good news I’m afraid. My grandma was taken into hospital back in the US last Friday and doesn’t want any treatment...with the type of infection she has, her doctors think without treatment she won’t live to the end of next week.
• My sister called me from the hospital room the other night so I got to say goodbye but obviously won’t be traveling back for the funeral.
• Work as been absolutely manic this week - horrible timing. It’s nothing that I could’ve prevented but soo frustrating that it’s happening during an already stressful week for me.
• Takeaway tonight per lockdown tradition - currently a toss up between the chippy & ordering a chinese.

I don’t even have 5 today lol.

Back at work this week and it’s been challenging. So much ppe. It’s too hot. I want pre lockdown temperatures back please.

That’s all I got 🤣

1. My father in law came over to help us out with our garden. Since we're shielding and there isn't a fence between, I haven't really been out there.

2. My MIL picked me up 2 packs of my fave popsicles earlier in the week before it got beastly hot (and the other bits we asked for from Morrison's).

3. I chatted with my good friend for 3 hours on Skype last Sunday and we have plans to chat again this Sunday.

4. Read two books this week, one I've been waiting on FOR ages. The record of the space born few by Becky Chambers.

5. I had one of the most American dinners. Real French's mustard specifically for my corndogs.


Sent from my Pixel 3a using Tapatalk

Friday again, thankfully!

1.  OH coming over tonight for beer, wine, takeaway and week 15 of Ian Prowse's Friday night lockdown live concerts on Facebook. I  Prowsey so much.

2.  Hoping for a quiet day at work today.  Just not in the mood.

3.  Jimmy Blue's first Gotcha Day coming up on Monday... hard to believe he's been with me a year.  I can see the changes in him over that time... more of his silly character has come out, and he is a bit calmer about meeting/seeing other dogs.  Think I will whip up a batch of liver brownies, or something equally boak-worthy for his celebration. 

4.  Booked a few days off for when the pubs (in Scotland) open on the 15th.  Will be interesting to see how awkward and weird it's likely to be, with distancing, screens at the bar, etc.

5.  I don't think my elderflower wine is working.    I went ahead and used the champagne yeast, but there is no fizz happening in the bottles.

Albatros - you are counting down to Christmas!  Wonderful!

Yes... and at my work, it's compulsory to take 2 of your annual leave weeks together, so I somehow managed to score the 2 weeks of Christmas and New Year off... first time ever! 

Happy Gotchya Day to Jimmy!

Friday!

1.) Had Monday off, but still this week has been dragging. 

2.) It's dreich and cold and decidedly unsummerlike 

3.) We're excited to go more than 5 miles for a leisure trip (have to go way more than 5 miles for food, but that's 'essential travel' ). So taking a packed lunch somewhere this weekend, even if it is dreich and cold. 

4.) Chickens decided that 4:45 am was a good time to let the neighbourhood know that they were up.   

5.) Gonna be doing some virtual more recording in the next few days.