Getting ready for holidays

I had great plans to be super-organised in work and at home so that when I head to France at the end of the month, I wouldn't be leaving a mess behind me. Time is flying though and I somehow just realised that last week of the month is not really end of the month. So despite feeling like I've loads of time left, I've only a week before I go. Lots to do in work but I think I should get through it all if no new big things come in next week. It's a bank holiday today so hopefully tomorrow will be quiet enough as lots of people take that bridging day off.

I was really tired on Monday evening though and on Tuesday didn't feel great all day, seemed to have the beginning of a headache that never fully developed and by the time I got home from choir was completely wrecked. I woke up yesterday with a stuffed head and the beginning of a sore throat. Just what I needed! It's not much worse today although the sniffles have started. I seem to be able to go a half-an-hour or so between bouts of badly needing to blow my nose though so I think I probably will be able to sing this evening - none of our pieces are longer than that and there will be organ playing inbetween. I'm going to have a nap shortly and how I feel after an hour or so will determine if I'm up to it. Of course, not feeling great means that I haven't eaten as much as I thought I would. Still have lots of soup left.

I wanted to clear the freezer and fridge out before I left for holidays and was doing well but still have quite a bit left in the freezer. There are a couple of cobs of corn, some stirfry veg (actually I moved that into the fridge yesterday evening so I have to eat it for lunch today), some broad beans, some bread crumbs, three portions of tomato sauce for pasta and two lots of tomato sauce for pizza. I really thought I'd have gotten a proper oven by now and was looking forward to inviting some people over and cooking huge pizzas. The small oven I have at the moment would be able to do about enough for one person at a time. So now I think I will just take it all out at the weekend and make a giant pot of bolognese sauce and that will be all I eat until I go. I still have cheese left as well so I'm all set. I'm not going to go to the market this weekend because I will only be tempted into buying more fresh stuff and I need to finish what I already have on hand.

This, by the way, is the photo of what I bought at the farmer's market last week:


Swiss chard (including one of the most giant bits of chard I've ever seen), milk, yoghurt, a huge block of cheese, chives, carrots, apples for eating, rhubarb, eggs, half a loaf of bread, braeburn apples for stewing (up on the draining board) and strawberries. I couldn't believe it when I saw the strawberries and had already paid for my apples when I couldn't resist any longer. I had a smell and despite being quite pale, they smelled fantastic so I forked out the horribly expensive 3.80 they were asking for a punnet (in the height of summer last year it was only 5 euro for three of those punnets). They have a few polytunnels and that's where these were from. They weren't as sweet as I know later strawberries will be but they were sweet enough for me and oh so tasty. In the background there you can also see some mung beans sprouting - have them in the fridge now to add to my stirfry later.

As far as money goes this month I am doing okay so far. I'm still on course to have money going away, which is good. And as I have nothing to buy this week except some mince, I am hoping to not even spend what I have budgeted for. I am going out for dinner with friends on Sunday evening and about half of my budget for next week will go on that I think.

Better go and get some rest before I have to figure out if I'm well enough for this concert this evening. Happy Thursday all!