The Simple Bare Necessities feat. Gratitude & Recipes

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Morning :hello:


Sorry for my absence. RL just getting in the way again.


Not much on a :money:vein to report


There has been more change to manage, small-scale stuff, and on the back of development/advancement, so actually all good - but you know how it is with disruption of routine etc, takes a little getting used to - especially coming so quickly on the back of change at the start of summer. But all going well, so it's entirely worth it.


We've had to do some hoop-jumping too. Glad to report that we jumped the hoop, did a forward somersault, a cartwheel, a flick-flack and leap-frogged the horse in a star-jump! :rotfl: How I would sincerely like to stand in front of a couple of people in this world and tell 'em 'told ya so'. Give a person a clip-board and a corner office and they think they're the authority on everything. Messing with people's lives.


BG has gone down with yet another cough, and is feeling severely under the weather They are currently sleeping - making up for not sleeping all night - so I'm hopeful they will get better in time. I'm sitting here with match-sticks propping my eye lids open........


Things aren't going so well for the parentals. All I'm learning from this is that I must never, ever be a burden to our little BG. We can all make preparations, and plans far earlier in life than we do. And we have to be more ready to admit when we can no longer do X, Y or Z. I'm of the opinion that whilst you may have to give up something you love, ie gardening, it will free-up time for something else - maybe going on a bus trip more regularly, to look around someone else's garden, or to hook up with a social group, to go out for lunch. Still, I'm also painfully aware that blows to our ego, and our feelings of 'not being a spring-chicken anymore' run very deep, and are often central to our very being and sense of worth/identity - perhaps more so, if you've always been more on the 'self-sufficient' track than somewhat dependent.



There has been no development at the towers. We're back to waiting on folk - how I hate that. But consideration of alternatives has hit something of a brick wall, mostly on affordability grounds. i don't want us to get into a shed-load of debt at this stage in our lives. The worry would shorten both our lives, considerably. But blow, blow, blow and double-blow! It isn't like I want a palace with a heli-pad! Grr!


Food-wise we're doing ok. No magnificent bargains to report. I did see my beloved Fife cabbages reduced to 60p in a different branch of m&$, but I'd bought one a couple of days before, and we don't want cabbage overload - despite them being delicious and good for you! People have been very kind, and we've benefitted from more gifted produce, which is being used up in our meals.



I took a few bitsa-bobs of stuff to the foodbank in a nearby market town on Thursday. A mix of some food items and some personal hygiene products - all off the 'most-wanted' list, anyway. I was met by a very smiley, kind volunteer who said 'thank you' - which is all that is needed, isn't it?


We had black olive pizza and (gifted) tattie wedges for tea last night. I bought some qworn lincolnshire sausages (frozen section) from mrAl to try on Thursday.... mmmm, won't bother with those again. They use the same casings as m&$ in their veggie sausages, I don't know why manufacturers think it is a pleasant thing to eat....... I'll stick to mrT own brand veggie lincolnshire sausages, much better.


Right, best get on with a bit of shuffling stuff around.


Ta for popping in. Appreciated.


Greying X

rtandon27

:wave:

Good to 'see' you GP! Thought you might have gone into hibernation!;)

It's been darn cold in the mornings and evenings, might even succumb to getting out some socks and retiring the sandals this week :rotfl:

Smurphington

Greying_Pilgrim wrote: »

We had black olive pizza and (gifted) tattie wedges for tea last night. I bought some qworn lincolnshire sausages (frozen section) from mrAl to try on Thursday.... mmmm, won't bother with those again. They use the same casings as m&$ in their veggie sausages, I don't know why manufacturers think it is a pleasant thing to eat....... I'll stick to mrT own brand veggie lincolnshire sausages, much better.


Right, best get on with a bit of shuffling stuff around.


Ta for popping in. Appreciated.


Greying X

The Qu07n ones aren't nice at all. My favourite are the Mr T Lincs ones or Linda's

Cheery_Daff

*sneaks in and plumps up pillows and leaves a box of biscuits on the table*

Hope all's well Greying. Sorry to hear the house plans aren't proceeding to your liking, I hope people have pulled their fingers out and met your requirements by now.

Tis indeed difficult to think about old age, and to know what we're going to be like when we get there I'm fortunate with my mum - she's only 21 years older than me so unlikely to be frail any time soon (although I suppose the flip side of that is I may get 'old' first myself!! :eek: ) Fortunately having lived on her own since my sister and I moved out at 18, she is rather looking forward to having someone else cook and do her washing and has promised she will be taking any help offered as soon as she is eligible and has made it clear that she's more than happy for us to clean her flat for her now if we want to :rotfl:

I do very occasionally have a flash of fretting about what will happen in our house given our age difference :eek: but I think we're both of the opinion at the minute that we'll cross that bridge when we come to it...

No children here to cause trouble to mind you so I suppose I won't have any choice but to try to remain independent as long as possible! :eek:

Anyway, sorry for all the gloomy thoughts I really did only pop in to see if you were ok Hope you've not been getting as wet as we have lately :eek:

Xx

Silver_Queen

Hope everything is okay, Greying!

apple_muncher

Silver_Queen wrote: »

Hope everything is okay, Greying!

Me too. Thinking of you all.

Greying_Pilgrim

Good Evening :hello:


Thanks for all your kind thoughts and good wishes, both online, offline, and through the ether Very much appreciated.


Sorry for long-haul absence. We've had a bit of a full on time of it, all in all. I'd like to say that the Towers is totally revamped and ready to grace the cover of 'Homes most Spiffing' magazine, but it isn't and I would be lying We do have someone currently trying their best to help us out - they really have gone above and beyond, but fingers crossed that it finally comes good for us, and our worries are just about how to meet the bill........


Baby Greying seems to have picked up every blooming bug, bacterial, sniffle, snuffle and vomitty bug going, so it's been a bit intense. I'm grateful that - whilst horrid to deal with - these are 'normal' childhood ailments, to be expected, if not welcomed; rather than anything more complex. But it's leaving us all sleep deprived and weary. But I'm doubly grateful that Baby Greying never was a vomitty baby, I mean, I know your constitution grows when you have to deal with it, but _pale_....... I'm also grateful that we've had access to NHS services when we've needed them. BG is under the weather at the moment, but soldiering on and keeping in good spirits. They have been extremely clingy though, which brings its own set of problems in trying to get anything done............................But things have been put on hold, and I've stroked furrowed brows, read stories, and made up silly-songs with joyful abandon. I won't get this time again.


I thought that I'd picked up the vomitty bug from BG over the weekend, but now I'm pretty sure that it's the perimen 'at work' again (soz any chaps meandering thru - tmi). Whilst it didn't help at the time in making me feel any better, I at least wasn't contagious! It did bring in to sharp focus the difficulties in being sole carers for BG when one of you is ill.........


On that note, we've heard of several cases, just recently of 'young' people - they happened to both be male - diagnosed with life-limiting/life debilitating conditions. Both wage-earners/family men/fathers of young children. None of us know, we just don't know, do we? Try to find the joy in each day.


Money wise, we're neither rich, nor poor. I've not won the lottery, but haven't been 'spend', 'spend', 'spending' either. There was a tiny bit of CHB left over to pop into BG's savings and recently they were gifted a soft toy and a £1 'for sweeties' by the old lady around the corner, the other day. BG's gleeful face was a picture - and they even gave the £1 coin to me with the instruction, 'mummy hold'. :rotfl:


We have been gifted some lovely apples - cooking and eating and some tomatoes, recently. Of course they are all being utilised. I'm delighted that BG plunged right in where they left off from last autumn and is tucking into yoghurt and apple puree with joyful abandon. Even though they now eat 'whole' apples quite easily.


Foodwise we've not been at all adventurous, and our 'diet' is carp. Too much pasta has crept in, and green leafy vegetables have crept out My only excuses are; tiredness, tiedness - usually a BG ensconced firmly on my lap, time-poverty, or illness. I did today, try to make the effort to restructure our eating and purchased a savoy cabbage from m&$ for 80p. Produce of Lincolnshire, it were quite a big 'un Having said that, we had pasta for tea


We did pop away for a little overnight jaunt. The weather was glorious, which made our destination 'glow' (although we were a bit too early for autumn colour ). We took plenty of pack up, stayed in a business budget hotel, located in the docks And had a chippy tea from a chipper that was located in someone's house and had a queue outta the door :T:D We had a free run on a beach (it were 'bracing' ) and remembered to stock up on some goodies for friends and family before we left to return to Greying County.


I spent a bit of time with a 'new-ish' chum recently, and it proved a restorative natter - coupled with their kindly treating me to lunch BG now has ideas above their station though, and everytime we get in/out the lift of a certain high-street shop, shouts, 'cakes ples mummy' :rotfl:


I've found one or two nice bits in chazzers for BG. Affordably priced, and that fit - or can be grown into. I've not done much decluttering of late - well, a little bit of my crafts stash with various projects, but nothing major.


Things have been going wrong, and it seemed like there were alot of coincidences of things happening that made my mood even lower, so I didn't feel that I had anything :money:- worthy to discuss. I'm still not totally convinced that I have at the minute, but things feel a bit brighter (we wrapped up and got out in the sun today), and people are trying their best to help us if they can - for which I am utterly grateful. People that damn us or land blows can just go to heck in a handcart. And I hope they do.


Since I've nowt utterly barginacious to report, nor found the key to 'free' I'd better shuffle orf.


Today, and over the past few weeks I am grateful to have known;


Kindness,

Helpfulness,

Generosity.


Ta for popping in. Appreciated. Greatly. Always.


Greying X

beanielou

Good to hear from you :wave:
Sorry that things have been a real mixed bag for you.
Keep plodding

rtandon27

Big hugs GP :grouphug:

So happy to hear from your part of the world!

xoxox

Have missed your loverly nattering!

Cheery_Daff

Greying! :hello: how utterly spiffing to see you :kisses3: Missed your nattering too! Even if you don't think you have anything :money: to report it's still lovely to have you around :j

Glad BG is doing ok although it does rather sound like your household has been beset by minor and vexing maladies. Hope all bodily fluids are returned to appropriate levels soon :eek:

Glad there is *some* house progress although that too sounds vexing. I do understand your frustrations and sympathise most strongly - I know how difficult I found it trying to get things finished in our old house so we could move, and that was without a little'un to complicate things :eek: (in the nicest possible way of course )

SO very lovely to see you back! :j :j