The OS Doorstep - a helpful and supportive thread in these tough times

monnagran

Morning all.

We're having a day off today as it's still officially our week's holiday. When I say 'day off' I mean that we have one church's Christmas lunch in a couple of hours and have to leave that in good time for the Nativity Play at our home for adults with learning difficulties. That should be amazing as they are all so excited and you never know quite what is going to happen next. This is where the Rev excels. She adores all the people there and they adore her, several of them are convinced that they are going to marry her. When she walks through the door she is mobbed. Then it is the Drop in tonight.

My heart goes out to those having trouble with grown up children. I have difficulty with my eldest. I know he would walk over hot coals to the end of the earth for me but he drives me mad. I could never have him to live with me again. My youngest is lovely, warm and supportive but I have been waiting since July for him to come and cut my grass for me. He is Irish by origin and has all the Irish charm and all the fantastic excuses as to why he can't do what he has been promising to do for months. And I am still waiting for them both to be financially independent. At 41 and 44 I think I have waited long enough! I think that girls are trickier than boys as children - if boys fall out they just hit each other - but boys never quite cut the apron strings, or if they do it is dramatic and permanent.
Now you can all write and tell me how wrong I am. Perhaps it is a generational thing, most of my friends have the same difficulties as me.

No cooking today but yesterday I made my special mincemeat. No suet but good amounts of brandy. It will be my wicked pleasure to watch all the teetotal, prim and upright Methodists knocking back my mincepies with relish and no idea what they are eating. Well, you have to make your own fun sometimes.

Good heavens! Look at the time. I must get dressed.

x

bluebag

Adult children can be very loving or very difficult or a mix of the two. I think it's hard as a parent as by nature a parent accepts responsibility for the child's behavior.

But, growing up they have had more than just parental influences on their moral compass and choices. Some are good and some are not.

As adults they make their own decisions, as parents we encourage them to do so. They also live with those actions and have to reconcile them with their own conscience.

As a parent I know I am not responsible for the adults I raised. I was responsible for them as children, they must accept responsibility for what they do and say themselves now, it is the only way they will grow.

mardatha

Absolutely bluebag. I wouldn't beat myself up about it, I do get hurt at times but then I think about it and see sense

bluebag

Please send good vibes y'all I am about to ascend the wobblly ladders into the attic of doom to get 'The Tree'

I have left the heating off so I don't lose my body weight in fear sweat.

fuddle

Did you manage bluebag? We've put ours up today too. The spirit is slowly creeping in

We've been to The New Forest today in search for anything nature can gift us by dropping on the floor. We've managed to get greenery, holly sprigs (but without berries - I pinched some berries holly from my hedge ) and pine cones. I've wrapped some lights round the spiral stair case banister and decorated with foliage. Very pretty and free

I adore The New Forest. So many horses, ponies, cows and pigs roaming free - not a fence in sight! I had to be rescued at one point as I lost my boot in a sludge of mud. Very funny... apparently!

The bag of potatoes I bought from Lidl yesterday are not at all good so dinner (not tea, its dinner round her so trying to do as in Rome) has gone from Lidl pork on the bone portions, mashed potato and carrots to fish cake, chips and bread and butter.

Enjoy your day off monnagran - as time off goes that's pretty pants really. Please think of me when you bite into your mince pies as I'm craving one now! your humor is naughty but I like it.

bluebag

Reporting in safe and sound. Tree up decs up, floor awash in tinsely sparkly stuff. It feels quite festive now.

The rest of the place looks like a bomb has gone off, but I will get to that in the rest of the week. Bit wobbly legged at the moment, with all the ladder stuff. My ceilings are really, really high!!!

Phew!

nan2many

Fuddle
Have you not got a farm that sells potatoes round your way, I buy a big 25kg sack for £6 at the moment, they were £3 for the first few weeks as the supermarkets won't take them as they are too big. Well done on collecting free decorations, I love freebies. Always come back from a walk with something in pocket or backpack. Glad to hear girls are settling in and that you have found your vocation.
Monnagran
OOOOhhh you are naughty, enjoy watching those mince pies disappearing.
Shegar
Hope you are beginning to feel a little better. Rest as much as you can my lovely.
Sorry not been contributing much have a rotten chest infection and just feel so drained all the time.
Hugs all round, make time in your busy lives for yourselves.
Nan2many

[Deleted User]

FUDDLE pet, I've always had you down as a free spirit, not a stick in the mud!!! Ha Ha Ha!!! Isn't it lovely when you can make the home look so lovely and all for free? I love it and you've done a good job of bringing in the green, well done, Lyn xxx.

Pooky

Nan2 - sorry to hear you're poorly, hope you make a speedy recovery.

Fuddle - watch out, moments of "mumminess" (as its known in this house) are often captured on film/picture now my girls are older and have access to instant phone devices. I have to bribe them not to let them end up on social media! The greenery sounds lovely.

Monna - day off? Blimey woman, you do more in a day off than most of use do in a week! Enjoy those mince pies.

Kidkat - loving your subtle decoration pics elsewhere! I'd love to do some outside bling but no one else in the area bothers.

Blue bag - glad you survived the wobbly ladders, I got stuck in my loft once, DH was at work (years ago when he was still able), DDs were at school and I'd gone into the loft to grab some spare duvets as Inlaws were coming to stay. I'd popped a couple of cakes in the oven, went into the loft, one of those pull down ladders....threw the duvets down in their packing bags and one knocked the ladder backwards at the wrong angle....the other landed on top and wedged itself against the wall.....from the angle I was at I couldn't move the damn thing. I sat for a good while trying to work out what to do, smelt the cakes beginning to burn and ended up half lowered, half jumping out of the hatch (thankfully a duvet landing) but it put me off going up there for ages. DH used to make me take the phone with me just incase

Quiet weekend here, chopped lots of wood, made lots of soup, cleaned the windows, sat infront of the twinkly lights and generally recharged. Hectic week coming with appointments etc then a nice week to follow with a trip to Bruges for DD1 and me, our new car should arrive and a couple of family gatherings.

Trying to run the freezer down so a hotch potch of meals this week but hopefully I can avoid shopping (aside from eggs and satsumas)

bluebag

Good grief Pooky,


that must have been very scary, my loft hatch is that high up I would very very not like to be stuck up there. I think panic would have set in for me, I don't blame you for not going up there for some time ...if ever!

I never do it unless someone is in as it's one of my fears, having the ladders disappear from reach and be stuck.

I have no loft ladder fitted, so Mr BB has to put the big ladders up for me as I can't lift them. Crazy stuff, but only twice a year.. once up and once down. I bring the tent down when the Christmas decs go back up, makes me look forward to the spring.