Crazy Cat Lady Chapter 2 - Groundhog Day

MrsSave

Hi! I've just found your new diary! Subscribing!

With regards to your big birthday holiday next year, what would your school be like with regards to you having your PPA on a Monday morning for one week, and then going to somewhere like Center Parcs a couple of weeks before the holidays? Either that or could you go straight from work on the Friday and then leaving late Sunday night?

Otherwise have you thought of glamping? We stayed last Summer in the National Diving centre in Chepstow. Their prices are very reasonable all year round - around £50 per night. It was great fun toasting marshmallows, bbqs and wine! We planned day trips then.

crazy_cat_lady

Hey everyone :wave:
Sorry I didn't check in yesterday but it was a busy one. Started at 9am, finished at 1030pm and I just went straight to bed... It was a lovely day though, and makes me realise more than ever that it's not what you're doing that's important, it's the people that you're with that make it what it is.
Thanks for the suggestions about holidays. Don't get me wrong - I've done loads of caravan holidays before - including this year at Flaming0 Land. I don't mind them at all, but I do confess to enjoying the added luxury of a lodge etc. What a snob I haven't looked into it any more as I was so busy yesterday.
So, a brief overview of yesterday...
Naughtie tortie 1 had an early morning vet appointment. Good news - she has started gaining weight again. Better news - she didn't cost me anything more.
Then rounded the kids up and went to my friend's house. She lives about an hour's drive away so I don't see her as often as I would like but we always get together in the holidays. We went out walking and pokemon hunting, and had a pub lunch that she insisted on paying for as a thankyou for me making her dd a mermaid tail blanket. Then I paid for the kids to do the £land challenge (£4). My dd won that one - a pair of headphones. I resisted the lure of more wool and bought a brush for ds to sweep up the mess he's made in the garden.
After that we went fruit picking. I love fruit picking and there's nowhere very close to me to do it - so we got strawberries, raspberries and tayberries. More than we need and I will definitely have to freeze some.
Then home via Mr T for the big beginning-of-the-month shop £84. By this time it was after 9pm. Then on the way home the A1 was closed and we were taken on a 35 mile detour to get home - so it was after half ten when we got in. I unpacked the shopping and then went in the shower and straight to bed. Lovely day but long and tiring.
I had to get up early this morning as I had a counselling appointment. It was as insightful as ever. We talked lots about my being a drama queen, being sensitive and learning to deal with it. It left me drained, but clearer. I then promptly got stuck in traffic and was half an hour late home. I've done absolutely nothing other than catch up on here since I got in, and I have lots to do this afternoon, but top of my list is actually a nap. I'm exhausted and I think I deserve it.
Be back later...

crazy_cat_lady

Well - I had a little lie down and a bit of 'conscious breathing' which was good, but didn't quite fall asleep. I've done very little else all day though, a bit of housework, packed some clothes for London, made dinner and a bit of crochet. It's been much needed though - I've been really worn out. So washing is done and dried and up to date, roast dinner is done, downstairs is hoovered and I have packed clothes (but not much else) ready for going off to London tomorrow. And apart from the spends on ds school jumpers (planned) I've bagged myself a nsd, which I'm really pleased about.

There_Is_a_Light

Great to see you have a new thread. I always feel a bit worn out just reading your escapades and marvel at how you fit so much in!

Pleased Tortie is doing better.

crazy_cat_lady

Morning all :wave:
I had intended to check in regularly while we were in London but the hotel wifi was absolutely dire and we were always busy/tired. I'm home now though, and ready for the next 4 weeks of doing very little if anything. I always feel as though I need another holiday after time away. It was busy and I'm shattered. Good fun though, and nice to get the kids to London finally - now they have at least seen some of the place.
Hotel was nice apart from 2 things. They're undergoing refurbishment so WiFi was rubbish and there was no pay tv availability... A bit disappointing but we survived. Also managed to womble us a free 3 course dinner on the second evening as compensation for the lack of 21st century living. Other than that we packed loads in - the Ghost Bus was really good fun on the first evening. We were supposed to be going to the Dungeon on Thursday but we got there and ds decided he was far too scared to go in and had a complete meltdown in the queue. Thankfully the staff were absolutely lovely and swapped our tickets for London Eye tickets. The kids loved it but I confess to finding it as boring as hell - I was gutted to miss the dungeon. Ah well... Then yesterday we went to Madame Tussauds, which was fun for all of us, followed by a good long walk around Regent's Park before we got the train back home. Got in last night about 7pm and I went to bed nice and early.
Confess to spending a fortune BUT I also wrote everything down so I can at least say that I kept some control over things. Today I need to sit down and have a look at balancing the budget for the rest of the month. I love August but it can be costly so I need to plan carefully.
Hope everyone is doing well - I'm off to catch up on what I've missed.

Bobarella

You did well Cat. The dungeon is ok but not very thrilling. And I have lived in London since 1999 and never done madam T as I cant face the cost.

crazy_cat_lady

Well Bob - I moved out of London in 2004 having only done the Dungeon once - I'd quite liked it but I don't suppose I'm missing much. I never did any of the touristy stuff when I lived there, and it was only once I got back to living up here that I realised how different life is. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. London is so busy but the transport is brilliant and you can get pretty much anything you want. But I like the semi-rural feel of where I live, and people that stop and chat to you up here. I suspect that the kids will want to go back again at some point... ds is already planning what we'll do when we go back there 'next year'.
It's been a strange old day for me today. My self confidence has been awol for a long time now - pretty much since dh got ill towards the end of last year. Days when I should be relaxing and doing nothing very much turn into days when my brain goes into complete overdrive and rebellion and fill my head with bizarre thoughts. I know most of them are not true, but I hate days like this.
Went to see my mam, and got quite tearful a couple of times for no real reason at all. Just because I feel a bit sad that I don't see much of my sister any more and I don't feel as close to my mam as I used to. The anxiety and worry are high level at the moment and I'm plodding on but finding it a bit tough just to keep going. I feel as if I have no energy at all...
But I refuse to sit here and feel sorry for myself any more. I'm going to get on and keep planning and prepping and have something to work towards. Couple of deep breaths and ride through these feelings.
Didn't manage a nsd but that's not a surprise - had to do some shopping. I did the monthly cat food order at Z00plus, then groceries/craft stuff/school uniform between £stretcher, L1dl and arseda.
Pet Food £74.22
£stretcher £22.96 food and cat tins while we wait for Z00plus order
L1dl £40.23 food
Arseda £46.00 (All on clothing and uniform for my little cherubs apart from the 'Catstronauts' bedding set that I just couldn't leave )
Just about to settle down for the night with my crochet and a cuppa. I'm going to cut back/stop drinking again because 1. It's a waste of money and 2. I tend to feel a lot better when I spend most of my time sober. I've meal planned and shopped for at least the week ahead and most likely longer. The kids are happy with free trips out pokemon hunting for the time being which I will make the most of until the finances settle down and I make sure that my actual amount of money matches my predicted amount of money... I'm worried I've forgotten something...
Tomorrow will be another quiet day I hope. Some tutoring, some washing, a wander round a park somewhere if the weather permits. Oh, and a bit of batch cooking for the week ahead.

Bobarella

Oh Cat im sorry you are feeling so bad. From an outsiders POV things seem so much better for you now. Apart from the vets bill what are you feeling so bad about? That is meant to sound caring by the way
And I know we are not here to tell each other what to do but is there anything you can do to feel closer to your Mum? X

crazy_cat_lady

Well, I certainly don't like seeing that cc bill looming over me - must update siggy to include today's PAD. Other than that it's all me. The way I look (huge - like a giant blob rolling down the street), my utter lack of self control when it comes to food and the fact that 40 is looming large. I know it's just a number but I suddenly feel really old... I will be ok because I always am - I just need to keep going...
As for my mam, I don't know - I really can't explain it. There was an incident on Christmas Day 2014 that led to me and my sister falling out and things just haven't been the same since really. Don't get me wrong, I love my mam to bits, but today I was just thinking about how different we are. I'm not particularly political (well, I don't talk about it) but I voted in for Europe, and consider myself among Corbyn's supporters. I know that she voted out for Europe for some of the bigoted reasons I didn't think she was capable of, and then today she made some off the cuff comment about 'rather Donald Trump than her...' which horrified me tbh. I never had her down as narrow minded and I know it shouldn't make a difference but it does... Ah well. I don't love her any less, but I used to see her as some sort of goddess who knew everything there was to know about anything. As I've gotten older I've realised that she's just a human being, like the rest of us and she makes mistakes and we have differences of opinion. It's a strange thing to get your head round.
Bet you wish you hadn't asked now. Trouble is, I always tend to slump when things are going well - this is because when I'm needed to sort out a crisis or something I step up and do it. Then, when things are sorted I go back to my default position of misery....

lcc86

Oh ccl you're back!! Sorry to hear about the big vet bills and your health probs. I'm subscribing again, wish you all the best!