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Tuesday, 11 February 2025

What I Did In January

Hello my lovely people!

I really am going to try to make this month’s post considerably shorter than previous monthly round ups. Let’s see how I do.



I created a cosy reading nook and surrounded myself with greenery, bringing the outside in to my warm space. 


A yucca cut to the ground last year is regrowing crazily, surviving the cold temperatures and winter’s storms; toppled pots strewn on the ground evidence recent stormy weather. 


Pretty china cups were brought out to play. 


A pretty cup turns a coffee and sandwich lunch into an elegant afternoon tea. 


January got me thinking of a growing plants from seed and lusting after a greenhouse.   
Do you  have a greenhouse? 
Any tips on greenhouse styles, uses etc?

Before

I tidied up a storage area in the kitchen. 

After

I sourced a couple of baskets from the office and rearranged things a little.  I think it looks tidier and I can spot the equipment I use regularly. 



The Christmas cake was still hanging around.


TP cleared the last piece mid-month!


I hunkered down and baked bread. 


I occasionally smartened up my warm winter jeggings act. 


But only by switching to faux leather jeggings!


And of course seeing myself in shiny jeggings hastened an order of the Nordic 5:2 diet book!



L’Ancresse.


There were some cold crisp and sunny days, but mostly rain prevailed through the month.  The wet leaves strewn along the hedgerows led to …


… Sudafed.  I suffer sinusitis this time of year due to the prolonged rain spawning dead leaf mold and fungi spores, all prevalent in January.  Inevitably I have to pull the big guns out of the bathroom cabinet - only Sudafed has clears sinusitis in my world.

Are you a sinusitis sufferer? Do you have a go-to remedy?


January is a month of comfort food, so I made a meat loaf. 


I was greeted by frosty mornings when I peeked out of my bathroom window. 


So I upped the hot chocolate intake!


Winter is a time for warm woollies.
My green cashmere is a great choice to keep the frost at bay (La Redoute sale). 


We didn’t plan matchy matchy green jumpers but it often happens that we accidentally twin.  
You too with your partner?


Worn here with my retirement uniform coated jeggings (Next) and cosy tractor tread boots (M&S). 
Coated jeggings are my going out version of my cosy day-to-day winter jeggings (I really must write a post on those winter stalwarts).


The twins went out on a date lunch. 


I love the Christie’s Cocktail, a mix of crab and prawn which a local restaurant puts together so tastily.  I steal fat chips from TP and make this my meal. 


Walking back to the bus terminus after lunch I was drawn to this fine display of green scarves hats and bags. 


And I was drawn too to this outfit on the left which I plan to copy.  
Do you find outfit inspiration in shop windows?


Another day and I wandered around a garden centre and was drawn to these blue and white ginger jars - and the 75% off sign!


But only a pair of green candle holders came home with me instead (green must have been on my mind in January).


My 5:2 book arrived and I had days of cottage cheese




and vegetable soup.

Both were very tasty, but then I found myself craving
 


a curry 


and an egg and cress sarnie.  So I had both.  Separately of course!

The good thing is that through January I stuck reverently to my twice weekly 500 cal days and I lost a few kilos; the bad thing was that a little bounced back on.  The net result was a loss of just 1 1/3 lbs!  But it’s a loss, not quite as much as I would have liked (or needed!) but I’m sticking with it as I find it quite easy to restrict myself to two days of 500 cal eating per week. 

Have you tried 5:2 or intermittent fasting?  
How have you fared?  
I’d love to hear from you as I need all of the support I can get right now! 


Let’s move on from dieting disappointments.  Let’s get back to nature!  We spotted a flock of egrets on one of our beach walks. 


I’ve been favouring beach and headland walks since the dreaded sinusitis attack to avoid getting near leaf mold and fungi. 



I accepted a cousins’ challenge to finish a lingering project.  I chose this patchwork quilt as my lingering project.  It’s made up of pretty Laura Ashley fabric.  It’s lingered since the late 80s, and when I unpacked it I realized I’d abandoned it back then … with just TWO triangles of patchwork left to do!
Oh the embarrassment - WHY didn’t I finish it?!!!


With it was an abundant supply of fabric so I have absolutely no excuse not to finish it … watch this space!


In the same stash I found this Laura Ashley fabric in duck egg blue.  Pretty huh?  
Back in the 80s I made two pairs of curtains, six table mats and a toilet bag in this fabric … and I still have several metres left over!
I’ll make a table cloth for the extended table and gawd knows what I’ll do with the rest.  An apron or six maybe?!



The abundance of rain during the month left large puddles.  I named this Guernsey’s Lake District. 


View from Bordeaux headland as I continued on my mission to avoid leaf mold. 


It may have been dry and sunny on some days in the month but we had to bundle up!


However, a cold bracing day is good for the soul. 


Provided you dress for the weather.
Me bundled up to the max and TP with no hat or scarf!



And on that note, I think I’ve taken up enough of your time!


Now, did I fail on the failed on the Norse Saga sized post?

Well, it’s long on pics but shorter on wordage and the latter was my aim, so hopefully you can scroll through this one in record time.  

Please let me know how it was for you!


A la perchoine,

Mary x.


Tuesday, 4 February 2025

The Pensioner’s Guide to Getting Guest Ready

 If it wasn’t for guest visits this house would never get cleaned!”

How often TP or I have muttered those words!

Well, truth be told I should prefix “cleaned” with “really” because of course my house does get cleaned, but a full spring clean?  Not so much.  And life isn’t such that you can time your guests to arrive just after one of those deep cleans eh!  
I expect it’s a side effect of retirement that even though two people do spend a lot of time together in the house and things can get a tad untidy at times, two people living in a house don’t really dirty it. However, dust, cobwebs, etc. do have have a cunning way of creeping up on you so even in a two person household the same deep clean needs to take place on a fairly regular basis (occasionally!). 

But. I do get rather excited when we have guests about descend on us. It means I’m forced to implement a top to toe clean of the house whatever the time of year, and boy does it feel good after it’s done.  And as I’m about to have a guest arrive, I thought it would be fun to share how I prepare for this lovely event.  
Enough waffle, here is how I go about it.


Get yourself a checklist!

If there’s no to-do list it won’t get done!

As a pensioner, I need a checklist for just about everything these days. So at the first hint of an impending guest visit, set yourself up with a robust checklist with a time plan, one that no doubt will be added to throughout this journey!


Know your limitations

Accept that everything on that to do list will take much longer than you think it will!  Give yourself wriggle room. 
I think we can agree that doing anything in retirement takes longer than when we were younger and spritelier. I’ve slowed down considerably. So my first tip would be to know and accept that things will take longer; so whereas 5-10 years ago, I could’ve guest-readied the house top to toe in a couple of days, these days I start my cleaning programme about two weeks before guests arrive. I do a little bit each day working from an expanding to-do list, so that things get done without me being totally knackered when guests arrive!


Not a good look when greeting guests!


So plan to get started in good time before G (guest) Day unless you want them to find you out for the count!


Do your homework

Ask your guests if they have any special dietary requirements, any allergies to things such as bio washing powders, down and feather pillows etc. It allows  them to feel comfortable when they arrive, knowing that they’re coming to a house that’s geared up for their specific needs rather than having to ask for things.   Which brings me on to my next tip.


Make your house guest-welcoming

Your goal is to make your 
 guests feel comfortable and welcomed in your home, to feel at home.  Mi casa …. 
Your guests are coming to spend time with you and won’t be expecting a boutique hotel room and full five star service.  I hope, though therein lies another post! 
But they will want to feel as though they slot seamlessly into the household and are not an imposition.  Doing your homework beforehand will help them to feel that.


Test Drive the Guest Room

Identify the room the guest will be sleeping in. 


The Guest Room, identified. 

If you have just the one guestroom then that’s an no-brainer.  If you don’t have a bespoke guestroom, then identify the sleeping arrangements and adjust the room/rooms accordingly - this is going to have to be done sometime in advance, you don’t want to be getting the collapsible bed down from the loft 
on G Day - 1!

It’s important to test drive the room to make sure it’s the bed is comfortable, everything is to hand, etc.  


Make sure you give your guest somewhere to charge up; this multi-charger will easily charge all guest devices


Overhead lights for nighttime reading



Clear bath of toiletries if it’s one you use daily


Towels at the ready. 

Check the bathroom arrangements too.  Think about what your guest might need in the bathroom, check everything  is in working order


Working bathroom lights, check!

 and leave a more than adequate supply of toilet paper, 


guests can find it a tad embarrassing asking for more!


Then if you haven’t already done so, sleep in their room, ablute in their bathroom. 
A year ago we bought over new beds for the twin bedroom and slept in the room for some days to check out how guest guests would feel there. I’m pleased to say all passed muster!


Strip!

No, not you!  The room. 
If you haven’t done so for a while, remove everything - clear any clutter and faffy stuff out of the room and take it  back to basics, adding back anything that is necessary for the guest during their stay.  


Here the nightstand is stripped of all bar tissues, coaster and faux flowers (being mindful of allergies)


This is a great time to force-declutter, so the exercise is a win-win in my book, being a life-long hoarder and procrastinator.


Launder, Launder, Launder

Yes, wash everything. Strip the bed completely, laundering all protectors, pillows and duvet, as well as bedding. Bear in mind some will have allergies to products used in the house for example bio laundry products.  I save myself fret time by always using non-bio  products so that bed and environment are suitable for anyone with such allergies.


Guest bed laundered from mattress protector to bedspread and pillow shams

Laundry needs to be done fairly early in your preparation programme.  Bear in mind that you will need to launder a heck of a lot of bedding, dry it and remake bed/beds well in advance of G Day.  Note that I omitted the ironing word as I avoid ironing like the plague! 


 But if ironing is your bag then allow a huge chunk of time for that massive task. 


Storage

Think about what your guests will be bringing and where they can comfortably store it. Having empty spaces to store with ease is so important in making your guest feel welcome.


Make sure the nightstand drawers are empty and clean



I give guests shelves with cube storage for clothes. 

 In my mind, making them feel unwelcome would be not having any space to place or hang any of their clothes.
 

If the wardrobes are chocka with out of season clothes (check!) then provide alternative hanging space


A place to hang jewellery to keep the room tidy


No space in the bathroom to store toiletries can be a bug-bear. 


Clear shelves in the bathroom cabinet,


Check bulbs are working. 


So yes, think as though you were unpacking your suitcase as your guest and consider where you may want to easily store things out of sight, keeping the room clutter free and tranquil, a guest sanctuary. 


Those Little Extras

Again, put your mind into guest mode. Think about things that you’ve forgotten to pack over the years, things you’ve had to rush out to the nearest supermarket to buy and then make sure you have a supply of those to hand.


Empty a bathroom drawer and add things they may have forgotten. 

I leave out things like cotton pads and buds, muslin cloths, sponges, hairdryer, scrunchies and clips, hairspray, toothpaste, that sort of thing, and give your guest a list of the items available for their use should they choose  in good time before they start packing.  I also add things like a dressing gown and slippers to the list as these bulky items can quickly fill up a suitcase. 


Spare bath sponges


Your Home Is The Guest Room

Of course, you are preparing a room for your guests but your guests aren’t solely restricted to their room. I hope! So it’s important that the rest of the house is clean and tidy to make your guest feel welcome; and the wonderful thing is that when the guests leave you’re left with whole house that’s sparkling, tidy for you, as if it were a scrubbed up Airbnb!


The Day Before Kick Off

Your work should be pretty much done.  It’s time to review that to-do list. 
Make sure that your plans for cleaning, tidying, decluttering, etc. etc. all come to conclusion the day before kickoff. This allows you to walk serenely around their room and the house and check everything is in place and in order. It also gives you a chance to sort things out if you find there’s something on your list that hasn’t been ticked off!



Air the rooms a few days before and on G Day


Use this as the day to air the house and to do last minute grocery shopping; buy fresh goods for the house as you’ll invariably be catering for them during their stay.  So make sure you have all of the ingredients you need fresh or otherwise. And buy that bottle of gin or wine to sit and catch up with your guests after they’ve unpacked. 

That’s a lovely time of the stay,  when your work has been done, their work has been done (travel, unpacking, etc.), and everyone now has the time to unwind and catch up. 



A magical time


On The Day

And now if everything has gone to plan you can relax.


Guest-ready!

 Gloat as you walk around and admire your work. Listen to some music, read a book, doll yourself up. 




 Just take it easy. Your work is done!



And now it’s over to you, dear reader.
Do you have a different approach to guest visits!
Any tips for G Day prep?
Please share, I’d love to hear. 




(Emojis from Pinterest)


A la perchoine,
Mary x.