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Oct. 3rd, 2020 09:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
turpsI mixed up the dates, so it was actually my blood donation yesterday. Last time I was there they'd just changed rooms and procedures due to COVID so they were much more organised this time. Temp taken on arrival, wait in one area with the other person in your time slot. Escorted upstairs to the waiting room for a drink and to read the info, escorted into the actual donation room for a quick check of iron levels and then onto a banana chair and the deed to be done. The man taking the blood admired my veins, and hey, I'll take any compliment that I can get. I guess someone must have fed back on the lack of drinks last time as I was offered a choice of juice after to drink while staying in the chair, and then given a snack to take away. I do miss a hot coffee and sitting at the snack table after, but understand why it needs to be this way, plus, as a bonus, it's all very quick and streamlined with little waiting around.
Then after that, we drove to drop off a birthday present for my oldest nephew as my SiL is travelling to see him today.
There's a cafe in a nearby town that cooks with donated food that would otherwise be thrown away by shops. I think that's such a brilliant concept because anything that helps food waste is great. I knew they weren't operating as a cafe atm but saw they were serving coffee and cake, so we went to check it out last week. Sadly they weren't serving coffee that day, but what they were doing was offering people the chance to buy the donated food from shops that would otherwise have been skipped. Four days a week you can go along and get a pretty big paper bag and fill it up, with the suggested payment being £2. You're limited to two chilled and two frozen products per household, but for grocery and shelf stuff you can take as much as you like, and we got so much, including flowers, coffee syrups, asparagus, bread etc. Like Company, it's a case of never knowing what will be there until you go, but, between those two shops, I could pretty much keep away from the big supermarkets except for stuff for the cats.
We finally had our telephone appointment with the remortgage people but sadly it was a case of the computer says no. Not a surprise as such as while we've been working on it for a long time, our credit is still bad due to poor decisions in the past. Our bank said they'd look at some other ways to see if they can do anything but as I doubt that will happen we arranged an appointment with a mortgage broker on Monday who seems sure he can sort something out.
Next week is shaping up to be pretty busy. I have an appointment at the lymph clinic one day, my first in-person visit for a year. James is having more tests done another day as he's got pain that won't go and they suspect it may not be related to the kidney stones. Milo is at the vets, and James also has an appointment with his work doctor and then people from work on another day to talk about him going back. Which means every day next week has a least one thing happening in it. None of them especially bad but still time-consuming and needing to be done.
It's why I'm okay with the fact-heavy rain is forecast for all day today. I'm going to have a home day, catch up on surveys yet again and watch more Downton. I only have two episodes left which I'm sad about, especially as Amazon listed a season 7, but when I checked it was actually only one last episode and not a full season. But, I do also have the film which I'll rewatch. I have seen it but didn't know the characters then so I'm sure it'll feel different watching again with full show knowledge.
ETA: I have no new Downton left to watch. WOE!
Then after that, we drove to drop off a birthday present for my oldest nephew as my SiL is travelling to see him today.
There's a cafe in a nearby town that cooks with donated food that would otherwise be thrown away by shops. I think that's such a brilliant concept because anything that helps food waste is great. I knew they weren't operating as a cafe atm but saw they were serving coffee and cake, so we went to check it out last week. Sadly they weren't serving coffee that day, but what they were doing was offering people the chance to buy the donated food from shops that would otherwise have been skipped. Four days a week you can go along and get a pretty big paper bag and fill it up, with the suggested payment being £2. You're limited to two chilled and two frozen products per household, but for grocery and shelf stuff you can take as much as you like, and we got so much, including flowers, coffee syrups, asparagus, bread etc. Like Company, it's a case of never knowing what will be there until you go, but, between those two shops, I could pretty much keep away from the big supermarkets except for stuff for the cats.
We finally had our telephone appointment with the remortgage people but sadly it was a case of the computer says no. Not a surprise as such as while we've been working on it for a long time, our credit is still bad due to poor decisions in the past. Our bank said they'd look at some other ways to see if they can do anything but as I doubt that will happen we arranged an appointment with a mortgage broker on Monday who seems sure he can sort something out.
Next week is shaping up to be pretty busy. I have an appointment at the lymph clinic one day, my first in-person visit for a year. James is having more tests done another day as he's got pain that won't go and they suspect it may not be related to the kidney stones. Milo is at the vets, and James also has an appointment with his work doctor and then people from work on another day to talk about him going back. Which means every day next week has a least one thing happening in it. None of them especially bad but still time-consuming and needing to be done.
It's why I'm okay with the fact-heavy rain is forecast for all day today. I'm going to have a home day, catch up on surveys yet again and watch more Downton. I only have two episodes left which I'm sad about, especially as Amazon listed a season 7, but when I checked it was actually only one last episode and not a full season. But, I do also have the film which I'll rewatch. I have seen it but didn't know the characters then so I'm sure it'll feel different watching again with full show knowledge.
ETA: I have no new Downton left to watch. WOE!
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Date: 2020-10-03 10:32 am (UTC)Oh that is a good idea!
Hope all the tests and such go ok next week
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Date: 2020-10-03 03:05 pm (UTC)Thank you!
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Date: 2020-10-03 08:05 pm (UTC)sorry about the remortgage, and i hope the broker will be more helpful ::hugs::
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Date: 2020-10-04 11:04 am (UTC)The broker seems sure he'll be able to help. I'm steeling myself for terrible rates going along with that, though.
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Date: 2020-10-03 10:03 pm (UTC)Yay also for getting to stock up on groceries and avoiding waste!
That's too bad that after all that buildup the remortgage reply was negative. I hope the broker can help.
Good luck with all of next week's appointments!
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Date: 2020-10-04 11:10 am (UTC)Avoiding waste is such a good thing. So much gets thrown away in supermarkets and restaurants, so places like the cafe and Company really do help avoid some of that. I liked how the cafe was organised too, with a volunteer in each section, making sure no one got too close to each other or handled the food without taking it.
Yeah, it was especially frustrating as at the beginning of the call he gave a figure that wasn't what we asked for, but close and said that would go ahead. But then at the end, computer said no.
Thank you!
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Date: 2020-10-04 09:33 pm (UTC)The cafe sounds excellent, I'm so glad when things like that work, it feels like we're winning something, somehow.
BOO to now Downton (have you seen the film? Sky/now have it atm) nothing else is quite so perfect, I don't think. Land Girls is on Iplayer ATM, which I've been watching since I finished my rewatch, and it's not a terrible option.
Mortgage brokers can be miracle workers, particularly with the new rules, so fingers crossed (and if not now, soon <3).
I hope James is okay and sorted out soon, he's had such a lot of crap recently.
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Date: 2020-10-05 07:18 am (UTC)That would be fantastic. The table was always a nice place to go after your donation, a few words with other people while having a warm drink and being watched by the table helper to ensure you're okay. I miss that, but do enjoy the fact there's now no waiting around at all.
it feels like we're winning something, somehow.
Exactly. So much goes to waste for no reason and I like that the charity are getting money for things that would have otherwise been thrown away.
I have seen the Downton film, but when I did so I knew none of the characters so am looking forward to seeing it again with an emotional attachment to them. And I did get an emotional attachment to a lot of them and was also surprised at just how many serious issues they touched on.
I'll check out Land Girls as I'm still in the mood for something involving but not overly dramatic.
The mortgage broker was recced by so many people so my hopes remain good. Thankfully we've still got 6 years before the mortgage ends -- and seriously, I look back at the person who advised us to get an interest only mortgage back in the day and want to smite them so hard, and us for listening to them -- so have wiggle room. But obviously, getting thing arranged sooner rather than later is the plan.
James has had a lot of crap. Working from home would solve so many of his issues, but obviously taking 999 calls has to be done at headquarters. But, it's something that's he's thinking of looking into and retraining, especially if his health continues to dip like it has recently.
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Date: 2020-10-06 04:22 pm (UTC)That cafe sounds like such a cool place!
That must have been such a disappointment! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that mortgage broker will be able to help.
I hope the visit to the lymph clinic went well today and all the good luck to James!
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Date: 2020-10-07 03:26 pm (UTC)The cafe is great, they're still doing theme nights once a month so hopefully I can get a booking at the next one. I think it's really impressive that they can look at the donated food and create amazing meals on the spot.
It was a disappointing, especially as it looked like it was passed at first. But, we've talked to the mortgage broker so now more waiting.
The lympth clinic visit went fine, and so did James' scan, though for the first time he had to push for me to go in with him. They said no at first until he pointed out nothing could happen unless I was there as he's incapable of getting into a gown himself.