Frannie's "Working Week"

My weeks have settled into a more or less stable pattern.

Wednesday is Day One of Frannie's "working week".  Pretty much every Wednesday we head into Chesterfield, visit the estate agent, drop into the library, do any errands and shopping that need attending to.  Usually we go on the bus.  Sometimes we meet Tabitha for lunch. We really ought to move it to Mondays, which is a market day, but we don't really need the market so haven't bothered.

This week the pattern was slightly disrupted because The Builder decided that he had finally had enough of his persistent cough, itchy rash and hot flushes and took himself off to the doctor.  She diagnosed a probable chest infection and sent him off to the hospital for a chest X-ray, plus other tests.  So I went in on the bus on my own and had a sunny potter about, while The Builder was at the hospital, and then at the vet, for some medication for Marlo.

Thursday is Pot Luck Pantry day in Sheffield, and Day Two of Frannie's "working week".  I have taken to going in on the X17. Our car is beginning to show signs of its age and mileage and I would really like it to last for the next 7 weeks.  Also, if I go on the bus, there is no need to worry about where to park. There isn't a lot of parking around Regather.  I usually finish at about 2, then do any Sheffield based jobs that are waiting for me.  Last week I met Freyja for a cuppa and then went to pick up the newly refurbished laptop. This week I must remember to pick up the iPad, which wasn't ready last week. I need to drop into the Chesterfield library to print out some forms that we need for the house sale.  Plus, of course, I absolutely must remember to drop by the village hall on my way home to vote in today's referendum.

Friday is the mid-point of Frannie's "working week" and is Food Bank Day. Last week I was mostly in the kitchen making cups of tea and coffee for the volunteers and clients. We have a little team who usually do the teas and coffees but none of them was available last week.  I quite enjoyed it - although I noticed that my recent food safety studies meant I was very careful about things I didn't used to notice!!!  (Aaaaargh!!  I've just wiped that bench down and you've put biscuit crumbs all over it!!!!!!!)

Saturday is a day off.  I usually give the house a quick clean up and tidy and otherwise more or less go with the flow.  Last Saturday Tabitha, Gareth, Cally and Flynn came round in the late afternoon, partly because they were going to Matlock Bath early-ish on the Sunday morning for a day at Gulliver's Kingdom and we are within easy striking distance of Matlock Bath. Also, because I wanted to give my hot grill stone another try.  It hadn't worked particularly well the first time I tried it and I wanted to see if I had learned anything from that.  Absolutely not! It worked even less well and  I resorted to cooking things on my trusty griddle.  The griddle is definitely going to Australia with me.  The hot grill stone almost certainly not.

Sunday is Day Five of Frannie's "working week" and is another Pot Luck Pantry day.  Usually The Builder comes with me, but his hacking cough has kept him away for a couple of weeks. I can't go on the bus on Sundays.  They don't run often enough or at the right times for me. So after I have had my regular chat with my parents I hop in the car and nurse it along to Sheffield. I wondered how busy we would be last Sunday.  It was Fathers' Day in the UK and we didn't get the usual rush of regulars at 12:30 when we start the lunch service.  However, things picked up as lunchtime progressed and in the end we were quite busy.  While we were about it, we ran a little fruit and veg stall to shift the positive mountain of produce we had sitting about in the store room.  Everything was on a Pay as You Feel basis and we made a decent enough amount for the day. I have to say that I was slightly on the tired side when I got home. I have developed a huge respect for people who work in catering on a full time basis!

So Monday and Tuesday have become become my weekend. Sometimes we head into Chesterfield.  Sometimes we go out.  Sometimes we go shopping. Or we stay at home and potter in the garden, or potter in the house, or do nothing at all.

I was a bit worried when I left SHU that the weeks were stretching ahead of me in an alarmingly empty sort of way.  They seem to have filled themselves up quite nicely.  There are seven weeks to go before we leave Tupton for a weekend in London, follow by a week in Japan en route for Melbourne. I have a feeling those weeks might vanish at great speed!