Taking a few days off :)

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I have a long weekend this weekend. I had some vacation time outstanding, so have taken a few long weekends here and there until the end of the year. I'm off through Monday, then have time off again from 25-30 October (when my brother & SIL visit), a long weekend in November, and then my last three days over the Christmas week.

As much as I like the week/two-week holidays, I have to say that I've enjoyed these occasional long weekends immensely. Just an extra day here or there to relax really does make almost as much difference as an entire week sometimes!

It's been a good week overall. I started out by attending a Monday evening meeting with the Ringwood branch of the women's group I belong to. The speaker was a homoeopath and after a bit of a wandering start, the talk was quite fascinating. His office is across the street from my office, conveniently enough, so I have made a mental note to make an initial appointment. I believe he'll be able to help in a way Western medicine hasn't.

Despite that, I'm not convinced that the Ringwood group is a good fit for me. They're very nice, but all (seemed) quite posh and I didn't feel nearly as comfortable with them as I did with my other group. I might try another group that's also fairly close, but I may just look for something else entirely. Or both. I'm not sure yet.

I also had my car MOT'd and serviced yesterday, which went better than I thought. She didn't pass the initial MOT because there were a couple of 'fail' points that needed repair: rear registration lights needed new bulbs (easy fix), and there was some welding needed on the rear driver's side. The same place, actually, that she was welded LAST year, but on the inside of the wheel well rather than the outside, making it trickier. There was some brake fluid needed (NOT a clutch, as I'd feared!), I need two new tires before the end of the year, and that was about it. That should cost me less than £100 and I think it's better to get all new tires at the same time so I will consider that.

Yesterday's total: £464.95 and I can now tax her without any worries. He said the car was otherwise in good shape, which I am pleased to hear. 

PLUS, I was able to pay for all that in cash, although it took all my savings to do it. Thanks to my cousin's generosity over the summer, I had managed to squirrel away enough for my deposit and first month's rent here, plus have a bit left over. Now that's gone, but I am more than pleased I didn't have to put it on a credit card. I was concerned it would be more than that, so that's part of the reason I'm okay with parting with it. It confirms to me that I need to carry on with my little bit of saving I do each month.

I didn't get the loan with the bank and that's absolutely fine. I went in saying that I wasn't sure they could do anything for me and they can't - not right now, at least.

Yesterday I also spent a good portion of my day (slow work day) downloading FREE books to my iPad - I'm learning! :) I think I have 44 new ones. I know they're out there, I know the library offers an enormous selection as well, but it appears that I believe to get anything 'fun' you need to spend money. And that is absolutely untrue, as we all know.

Today my plans are simple: putter, think, read, tidy. I've already done a laundry and have a second, smaller one on. I've been to the shops and bought a few things I need for the next several days (food wise). I'm going back shortly to drop some stuff at the thrift shop, as I had a bag designated for a charity pick up on Tuesday and it wasn't picked up, so that's fine. It just goes somewhere else, that's all.

I need to be at home later, though, as my roommate has a computer being delivered and it needs a signatory.

I'd like to go for a walk as well, as I've not yet explored Bransgore and don't know my way around at all. I'm going to register at one of the doctor's surgeries as well, as I'm no longer in the catchment area for my current surgery. 

I'm also going to sit and think about what I NEED. Important things like taking care of my health, saving, decluttering, going to see the homoeopath, resting and relaxing, to not-as-urgent stuff like getting my car washed (it needs doing so desperately, but it's so dirty I'm embarrassed to take it to get it cleaned! Hahaha!), reading all my books, registering for one of the online portions of the course I want to take next year; and all the way down to those unessential-yet-little tasks that fill your days: putting away the dishes, tidying the kitchen, watching Pointless this evening, drinking copious amounts of tea, planning when I can mow the lawn, and finding somewhere I can buy a dustpan.

It really is lovely to have the house to myself for most of the day, putter and fuss and tidy and plot.