Friday Five!

1) Teeth gritted, notice of intent to vacate sent off to the landlord. Waiting for confirmation (also putting a copy in the post tomorrow, certified). My instructions from them were to send the notice via email due to Covid. I have that in writing, so I assume it would hold up in a legal proceeding if there was some problem... (oh, puleeeeze not!).

2) Sent the acceptance of the shipping contract paperwork off, just waiting for them to contact me to take the credit card for the deposit.

3) Airfares have been all over the place. There were dismal options yesterday. Today we can fly into JFK for £350 + $60 for an extra suitcase, each. The logistics of JFK, though, mean we'd have to sleep overnight in an airport hotel and then drive the rest of the way.  Boston we could take the Amtrak for $13 each to our final destination, two bags free. So if airfares are comparable, we'd also do an overnight then take the train the next day, without having to drive or be frazzled after the traveling. So much to sort out!  Did find several appropriate hotels, though, at the destination (or near it). Microwaves and fridges, so we can just hole up with the HBO....

4) The lady is supposed to be coming for the fishies in the morning. I do hope she's not a "no-show". That would be very disappointing. And then I'd have to figure out what to do with the fish!  Of course, I cleaned their tank yesterday and they spent several hours this morning laying eggs. Everyfreakingwhere in there. At least they're happy fishies. I'm actually really going to miss them a lot.

5) We have a lot of takers for our plants. Someone came this morning for the three-year-old cayenne pepper plant and all the orchids. So about 1/3 of the plants are now gone, and a lot of the rest are spoken for. Which is good. I would really feel bad about abandoning a houseplant.

Thankfully, knocking on wood here, things are going relatively smoothly. As long as the Covid doesn't rear up and throw a wrench in things, we should be home in September, settled in (or starting to). In time to watch the leaves on the trees turn color. Too bad they don't have chicken tikka pizza there!

Friyay!


4.  Daughter got a bike last Saturday and she simply climbed on and RODE it.  Balance bikes for the win.  No stabalizers/training wheels.  Just hoped on and rode.  She's loving it and wants to ride all the time.  Hard to figure out how appropriate it is to let a 6 year old go out on her own.  LOL.  Okay, not hard.  Just hard for her to have to wait for us.

When I saw the video of her on the bike I assumed she had been riding a bike for a long time. She just got on and went like a pro!

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What were the results of the MRI?

They didn't say how long they would take, so I'm calling Monday. I just got the letter with the secretaries info on it today, but my followup isn't for 6 weeks and I really don't want to wait that long!

FINALLY FRIDAY!!!

1.  I woke up in an inexplicably bad mood today.  But while I was in the shower, OH nipped out to the wee butchers (who also do morning rolls) and got me a big steak burger to cheer me up!  Seems to have worked!

2.  Our favourite pub is re-opening tomorrow.  We'll be there to support them!

3.  Sunday, we are going to a barrel party at a friend's house with a few other people.  They've got a big garden, and said I was welcome to bring Jimmy!

4.  Finished off the last bottle of my home-made elderflower wine last night.  I'm going to have a go at making mead next.

5.  Girl sitting opposite me in the office is listening to some sort of comedy on her headphones and keeps laughing out loud at random intervals.  It's extremely annoying, and im probably going to have to put my own headphones on just to tune her out.

How was the wine Albatross?


Friday!
1.) Long weekend, off today and Bank Holiday Monday! And nice weather today, our one day of summer.

2.) I need to cut the grass and do some weeding

3.) Got a spin bike at the start of lockdown and it finally came 2 weeks ago. Have been loving it!

4.) Gonna make some beer on Monday, I think

5.) Should have been at a music festival this weekend in normal times, performing. Sigh!

FRIYAY!

I'm glad it's nice for you guys in Scotland but we are on the surface of the sun down here.  35C and climbing - NO BUENO!  24C is my max.    This is why I have aircon people.

1.  Our planning permission was approved and we had an email awaiting this morning!  Of course our architect is going on holiday for 2 weeks starting tomorrow, comes back in time for us to go on holiday for 2 weeks.     Always the way, eh?

2.  Sobe's allergies are flaring with the back and forth with weather.  He is under supervision.    He has reverse sniffles - blows?

3.  Redoing the home office this weekend as I'm WFH now.

4.  Off on a narrowboat with friends tomorrow.  Shouldn't be boiling like today thankfully.

5.  We've had one of the cousin's here since Wednesday.  Kids are SOOO happy as is she (she's 18 and ADORES kids).  She's off to Uni (first one on her side of the family in September).  We sooo wish she could move in with us!! 

Oh. Monday is a bank holiday? Hmmm.

1) The go out and buy food from a restaurant thing starts Monday. Our favorite places, some of them, are on it. We will be getting a lot of takeaway. Which is good, I'm tired of cooking and cleaning.

2) We have the movers booked and are pretty much packed up. We are a month early being packed, but one never knows if things will have to happen suddenly and I wanted to be able to pivot on a dime, to save the proverbial dime.  Had to have it pretty much boxed up per the Scottish Govmt moving advice anyway. And to know how much there was. It worked out. I have my spreadsheets done and my lists of "to do" stuff done, and am working my way down them. I will be glad when that part is over. Knocking on wood there are no further lockdowns in August to derail us.

3) We have our plan tickets, hotel booked, & rental car from Boston to our final destination booked. (A several-hour drive is involved, but it should be a pretty one.) I am cringing at the cost, but it is what it is. At least once we are settled it'll be history. Again.

4) SUPPOSEDLY Shelter is going to come get our furniture - the stuff we are leaving behind. The living room stuff, the big wardrobe, etc.. I got a confirmation booking on the Daughter's cell phone, so fingers are crossed they don't show up and say "ugh, we don't take Ikea furniture." Their website said it needed to be good quality. I take that to mean in pristine condition, which it is. I guess we'll see. If they don't show, I'm not sure who else to contact. The logical ones are still closed. I may have to pay a house-clearer, or deal with an advert on Gumtree and strange people coming into my house to take it away. (We'd manage. Hope it doesn't come to that.) It is SO bizarre that you cannot give almost-new furniture away to a charity. In the States, there'd be a half-dozen happy to come get it. 

5) It is sunny and nice here this afternoon. It rained all day yesterday. It will probably rain all day tomorrow. Today I have to sit home to wait for an Amazon package I wasn't expecting to be delivered until next week. Oh well....

Have a good weekend, folks.

Takeaway isn't included Nan. It is only for dine in service.

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So our favorite places kind of pack things in take-awayable bags when they bring them to your table. If it then gets crowded, we wrap it up and we leave. 

Otherwise, I have a takeout plastic bowl that I'll be scraping it into, sealing up, and going. I'm not about to stay eating in a restaurant, unmasked, for a half-hour if it has lots of other people in it. Not crowded, yep. Crowded, nope.

Oh, by the way, if you get a chance and are in town, Non Viet has a braised beef (forget what it's called, has anise in the sauce) that is absolutely amazing!

How was the wine Albatross?

It was ok... no idea what the alcohol content was, but it was pleasant enough.  The weird thing is that i used champagne yeast, but it came out still... not even a hint of fizz.  I'd been warned about checking the bottles every day and loosening the caps to release pressure, but there was none at all.  I don't like fizz, so it suited me, but im not sure why it came out that way.   

FRI-YAY!!

1.  got a wee half-day in work today!
2.  Going to lunch at Sichuan House with OH...which is conveniently located next door to our favourite pub!
3.  Saw an amazing WFH job online yesterday... I'm going to apply for it, but I've got the fear.  I've been in the bank for almost 10 years now, and I feel like my job is secure.  I can't believe I am potentially going to throw myself into a new, not-secure job just because I want to work from home. But WFH is a priority for me (would solve/improve so many issues in my life!) and it's just not happening with my current employer.
4.  Drinking a pineapple, habanero & lime soda... saw it on FB and thought it looked interesting, so I ordered a 6-pack.  It's nice, low-sugar and refreshing, but I think it needs more habanero to make it anything special.
5.  A new Taco Bell drive-through is opening today in Linwood...a tiny bit closer than the one in Irvine.  I'll probably pay them a visit over the weekend.

[quote author=Albatross link=topic=31293.msg1301257#msg1301257 date=1596784522

  I can't believe I am potentially going to throw myself into a new, not-secure job just because I want to work from home. But WFH is a priority for me (would solve/improve so many issues in my life!) and it's just not happening with my current employer.

[/quote]
On one hand I would be extremely careful leaving a steady job right now as the job market has gone nuts.  It would have to be an absolute sure thing.
On the other hand, when even the thickest companies have seen with their own eyes the benefits of work from home, a company that still refuses to accept that is either incompetent or evil.  It's got be a major indicator that they are the wrong company to work for. 

Interesting albatross, I wonder if it didn't fully ferment out, or if your bottles were leaking more than you realised. At any rate, sounds like you enjoyed it non fizzy!
Always worth a go to apply for a new job. You never know 

Friday!

1.) Have to support an audit in China next week, 3 am work start. Wheeeee. 

2.) We got a new cage for the guinea pigs this week as the old one was soaked through with pee and falling to bits. Happy boys now, as they have a bit more space! 

3.) Hubby picked up some beers from the Cairngorm Brewery when he was out and about this morning at site visits. Yay. 

4.) Have some overripe bananas, going to make an easy peasy banana loaf. I hate baking, but this one promises to be easy, so I hope so.

5.) I'm glad it's the weekend. Even though it was a short week due to the Bank Holiday last Monday, it's been a long one.   

On one hand I would be extremely careful leaving a steady job right now as the job market has gone nuts.  It would have to be an absolute sure thing.
On the other hand, when even the thickest companies have seen with their own eyes the benefits of work from home, a company that still refuses to accept that is either incompetent or evil.  It's got be a major indicator that they are the wrong company to work for.

if it happens, it would be moving from one bank to another, so not going completely bonkers and changing career completely... but still, anything could happen in that 6 month probationary period, etc.

I still think Albatross it's ridiculous that because your bank couldn't figure out a secure way for you to work from home (there are many secure ways to now do this), that you've had to go into the office all this time.   Because honestly, if you spend 99% of your day in front of a screen, you should be able to work from home!