After 5 years, I’ve made my final car payment, and it’s now all mine. The interest rate at the time was very good, and the deposit not too high and I’d just been advised by a different garage that the head gasket on my ‘old’ car needed replacing. It was a no brainer. I’m really pleased though that I no longer owe any money on it. Hopefully it’ll last as long as the same car I had some years ago; that one was 13 years old before I traded it in for a second hand car. Big mistake; the money I’d hoped to save by having a newer car didn’t happen, and the little Ford Ka I’d bought was a drain on my finances, and very uncomfortable to drive any distance. I’m very happy with the car I have now, and hope it will last for many years to come.

My first day back at work was quiet on one level; no students, however the gardeners have been out in force and we’ve never been far from the whine of mowers and leaf blowers. Of course my colleague is back and sniffing as usual. If it was my son I’d tell him to blow his nose! Makes me crazy…

Some time ago I bought a small bread maker. I love the smell, and taste, of homemade bread but can’t knead the dough; it makes my hands hurt. I’ve had the little bread maker for just over 3 years, it was cheap, and had made almost 200 loaves or dough for pizza. Lately it’s been struggling, and a couple of times the bread hasn’t worked properly, so I’ve been online checking for a new one. I found one I like, it’s a little bigger, and was less than half price so I snapped it up and yesterday made my first loaf. The loaf is a little bigger than we’re used to and it took less time to bake, and produced a very nice loaf. This morning I had homemade bread (toast) for breakfast, with an egg laid by my sister’s chickens, and a little homemade marmalade; simple pleasures that you just can’t beat.

I know this may sound strange, but I find compost to be fascinating. I put food waste (nothing man made, only natural, and no meat/fish etc) into my compost bin, add some activator, and put shredded paper in it now and again and a little water if it’s very dry. Leaves are also a good addition. You wait, maybe a few months, and beautiful dark, rich, compost can be dug out from the bottom panel. Fascinating or what?

Following a conversation with someone, not medical profession, I googled magnesium deficiency and supplements. I have a lot of symptoms of a deficiency so bought a supplement. Whilst I’m not 100% better, my sleep has been less disturbed, and the pain in my shin is abating a little. My hands feel a little better too, and I’m hopeful that after a while taking the supplements that my symptoms might lessen to a greater degree. I need to look up natural ways to get more magnesium too, though I suspect they’re in products that I don’t eat much or like. I’m also trialling a new chair that’s 3 way adjustable. On my old chair, you can only alter the height, nothing else. Hopefully all the above will help make my bones ache less. Getting older is a b*tch, but it sure beats the alternative :)