OS Singlies - We Do It Our Way!

BookWorm

Hello all - quiet in here again - hope everyone is ok?

I'm good but still adjusting to the clock change/dark early evenings. Last few years it really seems to affect me for some reason. On the plus side, I feel much less guilty at coming home and putting PJ's on

3forholidays wrote: »

Hello BW :wave:
Comedy night sounds good - enjoy yourself!

JustKeepSwimming wrote: »

Hope the comedy night was fun BW, & your sides were sore the next day.

Thanks 3forholidays and JKS - I had a great night. The comedy was good and so was the company. Ended up being quite a late night (or should that be early?!)

JustKeepSwimming wrote: »

I have a major victory to report - Ma has got a panic alarm installed :j. Its one that she has a button around her neck & she seems to be delighted with it

:T great news. Gotta take the victories where you can

Hope you are enjoying the rest of your half term break

BW

selloptape

Nearly the weekend everyone, hope everyone is well?

Any singlies doing anything for Halloween?

mum2one

Hope everyone has a gd wend, come upto Blackpool with Karen, illuminations are amazing - thou our view was from a tram xx

mothernerd

Tram is the best way to see the whole Illuminations. Just the right speed.

I have accepted a (very low) offer on the 'up for sale' house. £36k less than I paid for it but so relieved that it will (fingers crossed) be going. I had done a cash flow for the next few months (last viewing was 4th September and not really hoping for more until next Easter) and have gone into a Token Payment Plan with StepChange as I could not see any way to get through Winter.

Hopefully I should now be debt free within three months (after house sale completes) but will only have a very small savings pot left over. There is enough to pay for mum's bungalow - she went off the 'teeny-tiny' one, has looked at a few flats but liked this two bedroom bungalow she saw Thursday. It's not an ideal location but a vast improvement on where she is now and at least the bus that goes round the estate goes direct to our doctor's. There is a convenient supermarket too.

Still struggling to get rid of the pesky cough. Had antibiotics, then flu jab then went back to doctor's last week as the cough wasn't going away (felt much better but still under par, can do stairs again now). Nurse has given me a new asthma inhaler and I have to return after 2 weeks unless it gets worse.

Visited mum after the doctor's (wanted to make full use of the all day bus ticket). Was an okay visit, considering we started from the position that 'I was a plague rat and wasn't allowed over the threshold', just to hand over the goodies I had brought and wait for an envelope with some money.

I was allowed in, was fed (didn't read any labels as it would probably have been too high in sugar etc) and played with two of her partner's great grandchildren (just started half term). Tried to teach the 6 yo to say 'xerophytic adaptations' - we were talking about mum's cactus plant (it kept getting tangled in her hair). Child's aunt is a teacher and regularly interrogates her about what she has been learning, so surprise in store for auntie - geography teacher who had no idea where a local town was.

On Monday I have my anniversary check up on my hip. There's over an hour between my x-ray appointment and my consultant appointment and nearly two hours travelling each way so have been for extra library books and some 'picnic' supplies. I need to find the physio department and return my crutches as well and hope to drop in to a supermarket at bargain time on the way back. DS3's beloved is coming to stay next weekend so want to try to get the house up to scratch before then.

Planning for a quiet Christmas and then a bigger celebration in January when the house sells, possibly around my birthday. I have had no money for so long I won't know what to do with myself. I have a planned purchases list but it only has pegs and new quilts on atm. Need to think about a holiday, even if I start with a day out or two.

Have a good weekend everyone and take care of yourselves..

LavenderBees

Really pleased to read your good news, Mothernerd. I have everything crossed that the sale goes through quickly for you. House market conditions are very difficult for those of us not in the ever affluent south. And selling at a loss is a real shame, but is also a situation many of us would be in (I know I am!). But the good news is that clearly all your hard work is starting to pay off.

My life has been pootling along. Busy with "stuff" as ever, but I am hopeful that my work situation could become more secure in the next few months....fingers crossed! I am hoping that a load of interesting and no doubt challenging work is headed my way early next year that may keep me busy for a year or two (and hopefully longer). Please, please...

On the fostering front, I've been attending training when I can, but today is the first day of being "available". I am only offering weekend planned respite, so am not expecting to be stowed under with requests (and there is still the litter tray in the living room problem lurking :eek:), and if they do ring me I will probably be sick with fright , but what's the point of a life without challenges? :rotfl:

On the C word front, I have a friend staying from before C to after new year, which is a first for me. I have spent the last 10 years avoiding it completely by going travelling or spending it in lonely isolation, so it's a bit strange to be quite looking forward to the time. I have a few nice plans, but mainly we'll be chilling in elasticated waist PJs :rotfl:.

I ordered a goose yesterday for a complete change. Spent last night looking up left over goose ideas :rotfl:. We both have been busy making jams, chutneys, jellies to accompany all our cold meats/cheeses kind of meals, and my sprouts are doing really well at lottie. They were under attack from caterpillars a week or so ago, but a few hours (yes, indeedy) of patiently picking them off has saved them :T. I've also been making chicken and beef stocks ready for soups and gravies...the soups will be a welcome relief from the richer food over the C period, I'm sure. I have pea & ham, and am planning artichoke soup from lottie, and chicken (goose? ) noodle soup, too.

There'll be a bit more homemade C work going on much nearer the time - pates, cake, biscuits and chocolate truffles all on my list. Somehow, I don't think we'll starve

The weather has been grim up my way all week though pretty mild, but today, the sky looks clear and we have some sunshine :T. So, I think today is a tidying my front garden, lottie and cleaning the hen house day.

Don't tell me I don't know how to live!

Have a good'un, Everyone. What are you all up to?

LB xx

BookWorm

Morning everyone Can't believe it's November already...! :eek:

Mothernerd - so pleased you have received an offer for the house. Fingers crossed it goes though so you can move on. You do seem to be dealing with a number of challenges right now. Sending you a hug

LB - I was :drool: reading your post...all that talk of yummy food I've never tried goose myself so can't offer any advice on that

Weather in my corner of the world is foggy today but it's dry at least

No major plans today. I need to get butt into gear and do house jobs though. Should have done them yesterday but the day was a write off as I had a hangover Went out for a meal & few drinks on Friday evening...which was fab.. but ended up sampling the halloween cocktails they were doing. I developed a taste for one called Goblins Blood :rotfl:

Selloptape - No didn't have plans for Halloween itself (although you can see the place I was at Friday had a spooky theme with their drinks) ...not even any trick or treaters last night. Did you do anything?

BW

BookWorm

Evening folks... how are we all doing today?

I had homemade butternut squash soup for tea tonight. I roasted the BNS yesterday and then just added the stock and whizzed it up tonight... so it was a quick and easy tea... just what I like after work So I'm feeling very virtuous tonight but I'm sure it won't last :rotfl:

runrosyfox

Hello Bookworm,

I had a tub of Philadelphia. Singly's prerogative! :A

To be honest, I'm feeling very alone today. I'd love to go to a local firework display at the weekend, but I've no one to go with. And if I go by myself, I know I'll just look at all the other people having fun with friends and loved ones and end up feeling worse than if I'd stayed in with a book.

My friends live all over the place, so I've never got a gang to get together. It nags at me a bit sometimes. I'll cheer up soon!

BookWorm

Hi runrosyfox

Believe me I have plenty of those moments too! A toasted cheese sandwich is my go to CBA meal

Sorry to hear you are feeling low. Sending you a big virtul hug :grouphug:

Re: the fireworks display. I think you should go for it, if you want to go. I bet it's the kind of event where people wouldn't take a lot of notice who people are with or not. Most people will be looking up not at others

3forholidays

Hi everyone :wave:

Day off tomorrow - got to use up all my holidays before the year end.

People must have too much money as fireworks keep going off around here - gives me a fright. Do like organised displays but haven't been to the local one in years.