Work to be Done over the next couple of weeks

It has been relatively busy here over the past six weeks with  more to look forward to, and so I am looking to plan where I can what needs to be done in effort to achieve a lot more than what I have been able to achieve and also to be able to relax on a recreational basis a bit more.  I have not done any crafting for weeks and I want to get back to my cross stitch lady as well as other UFO projects.  In usual fashion here something nearly always happens that puts me off track, but these lists are meant as an aide-memoire and items will be taken not necessarily in order, but also as to what time is available for doing things.  Quicker things will probably supersede items that may take quite a lot more time to achieve.  At least there is a breakdown room to room as far as I possibly can of what needs to be achieved.  No doubt the lists will be added to and amended as I go along, also with updates of what have managed to achieve.  Want to focus on the positive here as well as getting this old house into some form of order.

Sunday 

Ended up being a quiet day here.  We had a really rough night and early morning with Missy last night where I hardly got any sleep.  I ended up over-sleeping as a result.  There was nothing urgent to attend to so it was just a quiet day.  We had a real load of thunder storms in the central part of the day and lots of rain.  I have been out and the rain seems to have done a little bit of good, but for once I do not have to water up tonight with my litre jug!

I have therefore been able to address my mind and thoughts to the initial plan of attack for the next couple of weeks.  This is including external appointments.

External appointments:

This week I have the hospital visit for the Ophthalmology screening on Wednesday this week not at my local Peterborough hospital but out in the Fens. G is taking me there as I cannot get under my own steam.  I am not looking forward to this if I am honest, but I am also acutely aware that I would be up a creek without a paddle without my eye-sight.  This has happened to a couple of family members over the years and my Nan ended up with an extremely rare form of arthritis that ended up affecting her eyes and her eye haemorrhaged and she lost the sight in her eye. Literally went blind overnight. She had a cataract in the other eye which they did repair but she had limited vision from it, and not able to live on her own after that. My Pop also had trouble with his eyes and had Blepharus  (which I now also have) and he also had to be regularly screened at the hospital.   As I craft an awful lot and enjoy doing close work this is a scenario that I am anxious to avoid if at all possible.  I am squeamish about eyes at the best of times as I sustained over 40 years ago an injury to my eye where the eye ulcerated and I ended up with a hole in my cornea.  I was fortunate that it healed without scarring, but my weaker eye is the left eye which is the one that had the hole in the cornea.  So we shall see what happens.  The impetus behind this in any event is the medication the Hydroxychloroquine medication I take for the auto-immune conditions. Some patients develop an immunity to the  medication which ends up affecting the eyes quite badly.  If it is not working as it should be it will mean a change in medication.  The eye clinic is the precursor to my Rheumatology appointment at Peterborough hospital at the beginning of August. Consultant is concerned about this aspect of the medication. Fingers crossed the medication is not causing an issue as for what it does the medication is non-invasive for what it deals with.  I am grateful that I am being looked after although it is not easy navigating a lot of the issues and knowing what to do for the best long-term.

In reality, I do think that I am going to have to look at my diet and remove items of food that I love from the eating list as they can cause inflammation (the  main culprit in auto-immune disease) and shift more towards a non-inflammatory diet.  Something I am going to speak to my Consultant about.  I do not think that it can do any harm overall.  In all honesty I have a sweet tooth and I have been reducing sugar intake for the past couple of weeks and I would like to get away from this if I possibly can. Too much sugar can cause inflammation from what I have read.  I am all after helping myself where I possibly can.  In reality since the gall bladder removal operation there have been quite a few foods that have upset me and I have had to find alternatives and also limit intake on some items as a result.  In any event as usual I digress!

Back to the Planning

This is the Hit list across all fronts for the next couple of weeks. I have an awful lot to do and very little time to accomplish it.  This is also taking into account the makeup of this household as it is at the moment.  In reality and as usual here plans change on a coin and I end up having to pivot usually as a result of continually updating and assessing situations in order to get the best outcome overall. Just part of my nature in that I always tried to be prepared as much as I possibly can.  More items will be added as I go along no doubt and items when they become a priority bumped up!

Plans commencing 7 July 2025

This is the start of the Master List

Jobs on the Kitchen Front:

• As much laundry as I get get done today - intermittingly between other jobs and then getting washing out onto line to air dry.  Try and get as much as I can get done until totally cleared.  Want to get the backlog out of the way with this week and then I will have operation ironing pile;I would emphasise that much of this is sheets, quilts, tablecloths, mats bedding etc.  So does need a hot iron over it.  Clothes if they go in the tumble drier often do not get ironed but are hung up straight away.  However with air drying I prefer to iron everything.
• Continue stripping the kitchen out carrying on from what I did the other day;
• Commence washing up and drying up;
• Clean and strip out kitchen cupboards;
• Re-organise everything cupboard by cupboard;
• Sort out the worktop and re-organise the equipment that is staying out on top;
• Wash down walls as I go along;
• Sort out Dishwasher and run clean cycle;
• After washing completed for the day run a clean cycle on washing machine;
• Get area near Microwave and electric cooker nice and clean and get electric socket sorted so that I can use these two pieces of equipment when I need to; not been used as much as there has not been a socket available without a bit of a faff.  Therefore need to make this easier so that I can use it when I need to.  There is a very real need on this;
• Some of the paintwork needs refreshing and gloss work needs to happen on architraves and skirting boards;
• Remaining cupboard doors need painting and new handles added;
• New flooring needs to happen; i.e. organise suitable flooring and then get G to fit it;

Jobs on the Gardening Front:

• Get G to remove the two Ivy trailing plants in conical baskets that have grown into the branches of the Bay tree.
• Add in a few more plants to them and add in a little more compost. Feed.
• Then get them on their hanging brackets outside the kitchen window for the time being;
• Get G to drill wall for wall hangers planted up on Saturday (4 of);
• Plant up a couple of long planters with some of the floral plants I have to hand;
• Plant up a couple of floral hanging baskets;
• Weed the old herb border and tidy up;
• String grapevine and add grape bags to fruiting vines to protect the fruit from being eaten or damaged;
• Start off a couple of new grapevine plants;
• Start off another Ivy Planter;
• Start off the Sweet Pea Tripods x 2;
• Pot up Leeks into large deep planters;
• Pot up the last of the Bean plants;
• Locate Cherry tomatoes in greenhouse and pop into hanging baskets;
• Sow more seeds;
• Start off some Runner Bean Tripods x 2;
• Source window boxes for Kitchen and Bathroom Windows;
• Source deeper planters for back garden;
• Strip out the Stone shed and get rid of the rubbish.  Sort out what is going and what is staying;
• Sterilise the shed out with disinfectant once cleared;
• Start adding back the items that need to be stored in the shed to tidy the garden up, such as glass storage vessels various types, Demijohns, glass jars and wine bottles. Gardening equipment and electrical equipment.
• Weeding the side borders to the patio; and digging one side of it again;
• De-weeding the patio and giving it a good sweep; which in turn is getting it ready for the levelling out of the slabs;
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Jobs on the Bathroom Front:

• Stripping out the little room and deep cleaning;
• Stripping out the main bathroom; this is happening a little at a time and the bulk of the items is the washing from the big clear out which I am nearly at the end of.
• Gloss work needs doing between the two rooms comprising the bathroom and toilet;
• Walls need patching and finishing;
• Main bathroom needs painting out;
• Flooring needs replacing;
• Small table needs upcycling for use in the bathroom;
• A new blind for the main bathroom window is needed;
• Curtain track needs to be installed.  I already have this;
• Two small metal bins for the Little room and also the main bathroom are required;
• Bathroom mats need to go down;
• Finishing touches added.

Jobs on the Pantry Front:

• Bottom of Pantry needs sorting out and tackling.  I have more items to go into the tubs at the back of the Pantry in the Tubs;
• A small amount of patching is required to one of the walls.  That will then need re-painting for aesthetic purposes.
• Final sort out and then getting Pantry back into full use mode;

Jobs on the Back Bedroom Front:

• Start sorting the poly containers outside out in order that they can be cleaned and then I can start using them in the back bedroom for storage;
• Started sorting items in the back room and some of which need re-packing into some of the poly-tubs.  This will be ongoing possibly of an evening a bit at a time;
• Items from all over the house will end up in here;
• Bringing items from the dining room into the back bedroom;

Jobs on the Dining Room Front;

• Re-tidy the side Dresser and get storage cannisters onto the shelf;
• Baking Box on top of fridge and freezer;
• Sort out the top of the freezer and the fridge;
• Strip out the freezer and clean out; using a hairdryer;
• Then re-pack freezer;
• Strip out fridge and clean out;
• Repack fresh items;
• Sort out two drawer chests of kitchen hand equipment;
• Sort out the other Dresser;
• Woodwork needs washing, sanding and painting;
• Walls need wallpapering;

Jobs on the Under-stair Cupboard Front:

• Cupboard needs stripping out, washing down, patching up and painting.  
• Shelves need a little re-enforcement support;
• Shelves need re-covering;
• New Glass bowl light fitting required;
• Flooring we have but needs fitting;
• Everything then needs sorting and going back into the cupboard;

Jobs on the Fireside Cupboard Front:

• Cupboards need stripping out, washing down, sanding and patching.
• Then need re-painting;
• Shelves need re-covering;
• Then needs re-filling.
• Outer doors need stripping, and re-painting white.
• 
  

Jobs on the Preserving Front:

Preserving has not gone well this year for one reason or another and I am looking to put things back on an even keel even though in reality I may not catch up with everything I had planned on doing.  I can but try and get some key items onto the Pantry shelf.  At least I have some fresh items that are slowly starting to be harvested and hopefully I will have enough of some items to preserve them for the Pantry shelf

Thoughts and Plans on the Preserving front:

• Get the dehydrator working and drying items for the Pantry shelf;
• Dried Chives;
• Dried Thyme;
• Dried Rosemary;
• Dried Purple Sage;
• Dried White Sage;
• Dried Lovage;
• Dried Celery;
• Homemade Bouquet Garni;
• Dried Chillies;
• Dried Marigold petals;
• Nasturtium Jelly;
• Nasturtium Vinegar;
• Chive Vinegar;
• Chilli jam;
• Chilli jelly;
• Sweet Chilli Sauce;
• Dried Mushrooms;
• Chicken stock needs replenishing and then heat processing;
• Beef stock needs replenishing and then heat processing;
• Soup Bases for Pantry shelf need to be made;
• French Onion Soup needs to be made;
• Pumpkin Soup needs to be made;
• Pumpkin needs preserving;
• Various bottled vegetables, potatoes, carrots, new potatoes, parsnip, swede, sweet potatoes, Ratatouille, Broccoli,
• Strawberry Pie Filling needs to be made;
• Strawberry jam needs to be made;
• Cranberry and Apple jelly needs to be made (Cranberries in the Freezer)
• Jumbleberry jam to be made (mixed berries in the freezer);
• Raspberry jam needs to be made (berries in the freezer);
• Raspberry Gin needs to be made;
• Apple Sauce needs to be made;
• Preserved Mushrooms need to be made;
• Gooseberry jam;
• Gooseberries in syrup need to be made;
• Fruit Salad in syrup needs to be made;
• Bottled Wild Blackberries;
• Dried Wild Blackberries;
• Dried Raspberries;
• Dried Strawberries;
• Wild Blackberry Wine;
• Dried Apricot jam;
• Dried Apricot Wine;
• Dried Apricot Chutney;
• Mincemeat;
• Pickled Onions;
• Pickled Shallots;
• Piccalilli;
• Giardinaria;
• Lemon Curd;
• Bottled Blueberries;
• Cherry Brandy;
• Bottled Cherries
• Spice various vinegars for use in autumn preserving;
• Souper Mix;
• Etc., etc., etc;

At the end of the day, I have a lot to do - some of it will be pie in the sky as it were, but there is no harm in aiming high and getting as much done as I possibly can in anticipation of a Cold Winter.  I want a lot of basics in place before then.

Just some of what is anticipated and planned in the coming weeks.

I really am ready for a holiday but I do not think we are going to get to the caravan until September at the earliest.  Fingers crossed manage to pull this off as well.  Can only try.

Keep well and keep safe, and it looks as though we have another heatwave on the way.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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