Building The Burrow!

Pearla*Merle

Merry Mabon! Who turned on the autumn leaves? I left the house for the first time in ages the other day and it's cold out there. I've completely forgotten how to survive in cold weather. I like cosying up but I can't hack being cold (then too hot thanks to jumper/coat/walking about too fast - I thought I was dying earlier today. How can you be both freezing and boiling at the same time?).

Do love feeling toasty in the house though. Have almost gone through a candle already (last one took about three years - Mr M is against them due to light flickering allergy but he's come round). I've also redressed some shelves in the house with my more autumnal looking items. Loving the fact that I can actually see what I've got these days, rather than things sitting there languishing and crowded in a heap of dust.

Somehow survived getting back to work this week, definitely feeling much better now, huzzah! Although I've spent the last week sleeping on the sofa (bed - fear not) due to my beloved's snoring... :think: It looks like it's a combination of turn in the weather/draughty windows (have noticed black mould is back around them again too, great), so will give those a thorough clean asap and see if that makes a difference. The room also seems a bit damp... argh guhh errghh. So that means the heating went on yesterday (had resisted thus far) to see if that helps everything out.

Sort of adds to the 'maybe we should move' argument though. Have also found some nice little community groups in the place we're looking to go to (including a walking club :j).

:www: MFW Wonderment: applied for new 0% balance transfer card! Though I didn't know Hay-Chess-Bee-See were so backward - no immediate notification whether I'd got it and also no email to say I'd applied? Website said to wait for something through the post? :eek: It's like waiting for exam results. :rotfl: If I get this card that means I can keep saving (i.e. keep cash free, make money with the interest etc) and then I'll probably look to get another 0% on purchases, so I can snooze away. Then pay everything off at the end of the terms and begin again. Mr M also sorted out some of his cards last night (he has super fancy reward ones, we should end up with some free flights soon - can't wait to use those!). 5p into the Kitty Bank,

:coffee: Simple Pleasures: quiet days at work!!

:heartsmil Burrow Building: chilling out a little more mindfully in the evenings (netflix fire on, reading books, watching the mass of more highbrow docs we have taped on the box rather than noisy nonsense/falling into a netflix black hole).


I'm going to have to do another post re: my list

Pearla*Merle

Oops, first and only thing I've done on the list is:

• Book Cornwallian dreamsome holiday cottage?

(:o )

It wasn't in the depths of the off season, but we've got mid-April which with any luck will have some beauitful sunny days, so worth paying a few bob more (plus means Mr M's annual leave refreshes then and means we don't have to wait til the end of the year. So excited! Shall do some daydreaming about activities for the holiday week - making soup with veg from a lovely local greengrocer features highly, as does wandering along windswept shores, reading books and generally chilling out. I may have pined about this already. :rotfl:

Must try and crack on with the rest tomorrow.

greent

Pearla*Merle wrote: »

How can you be both freezing and boiling at the same time?).

I find the menopause means that I can be almost simultaneously boiling and freezing:D:D


Heating not on yet here (although we are noticing less drafts from our lovely new windows and doors) but I have started on the odd part used candle in the last week (purely in the spirit of decluttering, of course - it would be a waste to throw them out and start a new one!! - it's nothing at all to do with their cheery glow! ;)


xx

apple_muncher

The bookmark is beautiful - I can see why you want more!

And I do like the way you are approaching your list... Steady now!

Pearla*Merle

greent wrote: »

I find the menopause means that I can be almost simultaneously boiling and freezing:D:D

Lol, hope that's not case here or I'll have to do a serious rethink of future plans(!)

Heating not on yet here (although we are noticing less drafts from our lovely new windows and doors) but I have started on the odd part used candle in the last week (purely in the spirit of decluttering, of course - it would be a waste to throw them out and start a new one!! - it's nothing at all to do with their cheery glow! ;)

Ooh, new windows and doors can do the world of good. This is quite a new building we're in (early 2000's) but we've ended up in a flat with a very dodgy (= leaky windows/doors) setup. You wouldn't think it would be as bad as it is, but there we go.

I keep finding part-used candles in my decluttering attempts too. :rotfl:

And I do like the way you are approaching your list... Steady now!

:rotfl: Never fear, Apple. I only had to pay a 25% deposit, the rest not due til four weeks before. :money: Mostly been chipping away at the non-money stuff over the past couple of days...

Pearla*Merle

Having an extra day off is working out wonderfully - the house is now starting to look a lot more pretty (read: clean) and I feel much better having an extra day's 'rest'. Although I might have to do some extra shifts in the coming weeks, hopefully staffing will be sorted asap so it'll have minimal impact.

Work has been a lot better, and some major things that were stressing me out look like they've died a death (thank heavens). Still waiting to see how the next few weeks go as there may be more upset on the horizon, we shall see. I should have a better idea next week how things are looking so won't apply for any new jobs until the end of the month or roundabouts.

Had a lovely wander along the river today and took out some heeled boots for a spin - I have two new pairs of winter boots which I never wore for various reasons. Determined to break them in and start using them (was contemplating selling) which should save me buying any new pairs for a goodly while.

Nipped into the shop and bought some mealworms and seeds for the birds (£2.99, I can live with that). Cleaned the bird feeder and put a mix of those in there (along a sprinkling from my massive stash of raisins), we'll see how that does. Noticed they were selling own brand seeds much more cheaply (of course tucked down another aisle), so saved myself a good £2 there. :money:

Also a jug I was going to declutter has got a reprieve as it's actually perfect for mixing up bird food. Shall see if it earns its keep over the winter with my fat ball plans...

Decluttered: four pillows (already chucked out several recently! Found more old guest pillows/pillows-to-stop-snoring experiments from days of old); random birthday gift I'll never use and can't sell; old coat hangers; phone screen protectors; mini trowel from xmas gift set; old dressing gown; small storage box I won't use as I now have others.

So another full bag for life to go to the charity shop! Have spied a few other bits so might have another one by the time I can drop them off. Rereading KonMari has done wonders to strengthen my resolve and remind me why I want to make space. Particularly liked these passages:

"The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now; not the person we were in the past."

"Joy manifests itself in the body and I don't let these physical signs* escape me."
* i.e. a knitted brow/tenseness in the body when unsure whether to keep something.

List news...

• Buy meal worms/seeds for making fat balls for the birdies.
• Autumn boat trips nearby - research and book?*

*not booked as would need to get the day off, so on hold for now.
** also: making progress with inbox, researched plant pot sizes, did some investigating of local social groups/potential days out.

:heartsmil Simple Pleasures: themed reading is going well, absolutely love indulging in the book of bird poems - it's nice to come across writing I probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise. Particularly liked 'Candlebird', 'Rhu Mor' (Gannets fall like the heads of tridents, / bombarding the green silk water) and 'Skeins o Geese'.

Also reading Elderwoman (by Marian van Eyk McCain) which are thoughts on the 'grandmothering' and post-menopausal phase of life (lol re: previous post above). Anyway, I've always been generally interested in how the human (and particularly the female, for obvious reasons) psyche develops and the various roles it plays through life and the book makes for very interesting reading. I've read it before and found that it helped me see the bigger picture and put life into perspective, plus she has some very interesting thoughts about life in general. In a way it's a bit of a roadmap to living, especially as she's very geared towards simplicity and living more naturally, which I love. I also have her book 'The Lilypad List', which is very much focused on living more simply and is an utter dream to read - very thought provoking and inspiring. I'm going to have to get the rest of her books, methinks. She's such a wonderful writer. :smileyhea

Whoops! Have written another epic! Shall away! x

Pearla*Merle

Hellooooo!

I have a good excuse for my awolness this time - managed to land myself in hospital for a goodly while, whoops. Thankfully they managed to get to the bottom of the matter and, thankfully, I was too out of it to pay much attention to them while they bandied about theories.

I'm back home now and well on the mend. :beer: I need to go back in a few more times for them to faff with me a bit more but it should all be pretty straightforward stuff.

Needless to say I'm off work for the foreseeable future - how lucky was it that I didn't quit in the end? I think it'll be quite a slow return to work when I do go back (i.e. reduced hours). I'm fully intending to make the most of being off - lots of rest and slowly getting my life back into a much more balanced state. :A

I thought being in hospital for a week would be very :money: but everything Mr M saved on electricity/water/food he managed to spend on emergency pyjamas. :rotfl:

I've also realised that I need to take better care of myself (I think I already mentioned not wearing rag-like clothes etc, but I'm also awful for letting my hair go wild & such), so the future will see me spending a few more pennies keeping these things in better shape as it actually does make such a difference to my mental health (long term issues re: appearance due to ill health/chubbiness in the past).

In happy news, I lost a whole stone during my stay with the NHS. I'm so happy. :rotfl: Seriously though, I'm glad to be able to eat again and so far I've been very good with eating decent food - I've not really got a choice now, my body isn't accepting sugary/fatty things.

:www: MFW Wonderment: grabbed free seeds & greetings card from the Freebies board; will be filling up on cheap wintry veg henceforth & saving muchly by not buying rubbishy foods & drinks;

:heartsmil Simple Pleasures: watching the birds at the bird feeder (apparently Mr M saw a Long Tailed Tit! I don't think I've ever seen one - hope it comes back). Sitting outside in the morning sun drinking lemon tea & eating a bagel. Watching the flowers grown (cornflowers, borage and sweet peas I randomly planted a while ago are about to bloom!)

apple_muncher

Oh me, oh my!! Well, it is good to hear from you on this side of your nhs visit, and good news that you are mending.

Do take it gently, especially if you are back and forth still to the hospital.

And do take time to be creative...

What do your emergency pjs look like??

Also good to hear re the seeds you planted - kept meaning to ask you about them. Dd made me be really stingy when pouring ours out, so I reckon it was more husk than seed, judging bythe low number of flowers! Next year, I'll just tip 'em all out!

Lots of hugs xxx

muddywhitechicken

Crikey :eek: glad to hear that you are on the mend now

Take care,
MWCx

greent

Sorry to hear you've been in hospital, PM - but glad to hear that you're now out and on the mend A nice prolonged rest and gradual return to work sounds just the thing - as you said, good job you stayed there!


Hope recovery continues apace :0


xxx