Frump to Fab 2017 - A Whole New World

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

I had a tough day today pain wise, but I still had to go to work. It was a good job that I did, as 2 of the other cleaners did not turn up. The pain slowed me down and I ended up quite breathless as I was doing the cleaning, even though I was moving at a slower pace.

My body is just trying to get used to working as a cleaner again. I am taking painkillers each day at the moment which helps with the pain, but does not eradicate it, as it is muscle deep pains all over my body.

There is always a silver lining, and I have managed to lose a few pounds so far and 2 inches off the fattest part of my stomach, so it is not all bad news. :j

I am very ready for Christmas this year as well. I will need to buy a few more presents for my children and grandchildren, but I do have some items put aside already. I have a much more limited budget this year, as I am concentrating on building my savings.

I tend to set a budget for Christmas, then do whatever I can within that budget, including presents for my 4 children and my 4 grandchildren and my favourite sister. I will not be buying any presents for any of my other siblings, nephews or nieces like I would normally do, as my budget will not stretch that far.

chanie

sugarbaby125 wrote: »

I am very ready for Christmas this year as well. I will need to buy a few more presents for my children and grandchildren, but I do have some items put aside already. I have a much more limited budget this year, as I am concentrating on building my savings.

I tend to set a budget for Christmas, then do whatever I can within that budget, including presents for my 4 children and my 4 grandchildren and my favourite sister. I will not be buying any presents for any of my other siblings, nephews or nieces like I would normally do, as my budget will not stretch that far.

I wouldn't expect anything less from you, sugar. I've bought quite a bit already, myself.

lessonlearned

Hello lovely ladies..

A thoroughly miserable day here. I have my steroid injection later this afternoon, bit nervous (I'm a bit of a needle phobe tbh). Hey ho. Just grin and bear it.

Well I've had a nice coils of days. Had another lovely compliment the other day. Someone else seemed genuinely surprised when they discovered my age.....so maybe all my efforts are paying off at last.

Yesterday I went for a mooch round the charity shops - picked up a cream fake fur evening cape £3 and a Black Russian style fake fur hat £4. So well pleased with my bargains.


SUgarbaby ...love the song choices, you can't beat the old classics. I love Peggy Lee, Ella Fitzgerald, Barbra Streisand. I saw Cleo Laine live a few times, Brilliant. And I adore good old Frank Sinatra, especially his golden years during the 50s and early 60s.

I just love most music. I used to have a sideline job at our local Assembly Rooms, I got to see so many live acts, classical orchestras, ballet, jazz, rock and pop and all the comedy greats of the 70s. Even got to meet some of the stars too. Happy days.

FLoss - we will be calling in at Lisbon.....so yes any tips would be most welcome.

Christmas.....yes it's just round the corner. The boys and I decided to have a "smaller" more laid back Christmas last year, buying just small token gifts. It was so much no nicer, far less stressful. Instead we had a lovely day seeing the Christmas lights at Chatsworth and having a slap up pre Christmas lunch.

Actually DS1 and DIL want to cook this year so I shall be happy to take a back seat. It will be the first time in around 40 years that I have not cooked Christmas lunch. I think it will be great. :rotfl:

Floss

LL pm me your address, we've got a guide book & map you can borrow

maman

:eek: Christmas!!


Oh sugarbaby, you really are so organised I'm full of admiration for your planning.


Like you LL we've adopted a much more low key Christmas in recent years. we buy gifts for our two granddaughters and send/give a little money to some other children in the family and then that's about it. We'll enjoy various meals out and treat our daughters for their birthdays which are close to Christmas anyway. I do give a token to a few close friends. We meet up for a meal in a favourite country house venue that has become a tradition and exchange small gifts. This year I'm considering the Aldi candles.:D


Glad to hear you're managing to lead a close to normal life despite the pain sugarbaby. Good luck with the steroid injection LL, hope it does the trick.


The cruise sounds really good. I don't know how long you'll have in Lisbon LL but I'd say to get the look and feel of the city go for a ride on Tram 28. Great fun and you can get on and off at various points if you have the time.


We woke up this morning to find hot water isn't working.:eek:First thought was it was a boiler problem but it seems there's a leak in one of the heating pipes in the hall. Unfortunately it's boxed in so (just painted) skirting has to come off. DH is on the case so hopefully it'll be a simple repair.:(


It's a miserable day here too but fortunately the rain didn't come on until mid morning and we were able to fit in our 'health' walk first. I've done well for exercise this week as I've also been dancing for the past two evenings. Sounds like you're getting plenty of exercise with your new horse Lainey. I'm so pleased you're enjoying it all and weightloss is a bonus.:)


Following my eye test last week, the optician recommended new glasses. As well as my usual TV/driving glasses it will mean replacing my beloved Raybans!:eek: I can't really complain as it's ages since my prescription changed. I'm inclined to get an exact replacement of the timeless JackieO style which they sell in Boots. They also do a second pair half price deal which should be helpful if I can find a 'normal' pair that I like to go with the sunnies. I think that's a job for next week.


ellsbel hasn't posted for ages and it's a while since we heard from ruby. :wave: to you and anyone else lurking.

sugarbaby125

Hello Ladies,

LL I hope the steroid injection was not too distressing for you and that you will feel the benefits of it soon.

LL sit back and allow your son and daughter in law to do Christmas lunch. It will be so relaxing for you. Try not to offer any advice unless they solicit it from you, just let them do everything in their own way.

Maman and Chanie, I have to be organised and plan Christmas or it would simply not happen the way we all want it to. My 2 eldest children are December birthdays, so thankfully I have already bought their birthday presents as well.

As I am eating a lot more healthily, I am spending a lot less on Christmas food treats this year, which will help me to keep within my budget. I have a £50 Marks and Spencer gift card and over £80 on my Nectar card which I will use to buy all the food and drink for Christmas and New Year for the 3 of us.

I am going to the cinema on Saturday afternoon with my children, compliments of my Nectar Summer Rewards vouchers and then in the evening I am going to Reggaoke at The Ritzy in Brixton for the 1st time. I am really looking forward to both. On Sunday I will just have a relaxing day and catch up on any laundry that needs to be done.

lessonlearned

Hello lovely ladies

Well the injection itself wasn't too bad, I just closed my eyes and the attending nurse put her arm round my shoulders whilst the doctor did the necessary. They add an anaesthic to the cortisone so that helps.

It was only after the anaesthetic wore off that the real discomfort set in. So had a couple of uncomfortable hours in the evening. Dosed myself with a couple of paracetamol, a glass of wine and lashings of red tiger balm (the industrial strength one) before bed and slept like a log.

Managed a few stretches before getting out of bed and don't feel too bad at all this morning. I need to rest it today and try and keep it elevated. It looks like being a beautiful day so I will get out into the garden in my zero gravity deck chair and soak up the sun. I might need to Hygge in a nice throw if theres a nip in the air but the fresh air and sun will do me good.

I have started Hyggeing in the evenings. Throws, candles, hearty winter food. I love it. I could cheerfully hibernate over winter, although this winter I do have two sunshine holidays booked. Naughty me. Who cares, life is short. I'm 66 so I'm going to enjoy it whilst I've still got a bit of fire in my belly.

The injection will only be a quick fix......assuming it works. The consultant has confirmed that at some point surgery will be the only long term solution. But we discussed a programme and he's happy enough to try injections and Physio to postpone surgery for as long as possible.

I will use the time bought by the injections to have Physio to build up the supporting muscles and lose weight. It will increase my chances of post operative success if I prepare my body for surgery iyswim.

There was a lady in the surgery, at least 5 stones overweight, two crutches and could barely get in and out the chair. Not helping herself at all. That will not be me!!!!

I am off to see Victoria and Abdul on Sunday with one of the ladies from Jolly Dollies. It looks like a good film. I have downloaded the new My Cousin Rachel and Wonderwoman to watch whilst I rest my leg a bit over the next couple of days.

I also have some "sitting down" type jobs to keep me amused. Apparently the pain should clear within a couple of days and then we'll know if the injection was successful. APparently it has a pretty good track record.

Re Christmas lunch. DS1 is an excellent cook. I'm looking forward to it. But yes you are right, the job of a MIL is to maintain a diplomatic silence and not to offer unsolicited "advice" :rotfl:

My VEnezuelan daughter in law is a doll, but she is a typical Latina, fiery, hot tempered, emotional and sentimental. When things get heated both my son and I maintain a typical English Sang Froid until things blow over......:rotfl: the storms blow themselves out pretty quickly and then she's back to her loving sweet self in no time. I can deal with that. (My mum was similar so I'm used to hot tempered foreigners and tend not to pay too much attention to their rants).

My husband used to call me the "Volcano" he said I was patient, calm and laid back most of the time but occasionally there would be rumblings and then I would blow. Again he and the boys would just run for cover until I had calmed down.

The people I find hard to deal with are the "sulkers". Unfortunately DS2s girl has shown a few "sulking" tendencies. It upsets my son because he's not used to the silent treatment and finds it stressful. I have told him he needs to be patient (she did lose her father a couple of months ago and is obviously raw and vulnerable) but not to let the sulking destroy their relationship. He has to draw her out and teach her to communicate her wishes and needs and not leave him to second guess what she wants. He's lovely but a typical bloke in that you have to spell things out for him. He's not good at picking up signals.

I think she is afraid to speak her mind sometimes (her mother is a sulker apparently so it's learned behaviour). Her parents were apparently on the verge of divorcing when her father got sick and then her mother, out of a sense of duty, took it upon herself to care for him. (She is a nurse too). All credit to her for stepping up to the plate but not an ideal situation for the family.

End of life care has to come from a place of love, not merely duty and I think it's been a very uncomfortable and stressful 4 years for the wife and daughters. My son is very loving, kind and patient. He helped me Nurse his father so he has first hand experience and a real understanding of what she is going through.

Hopefully they will be ok. It's early days yet. As a mother we worry don't we. He tells me not to, he says he has this under control but as I always tell him. Of course I worry, that's what parents do, it's part of the job description.:rotfl:

maman

Glad you coped OK with the injection LL. Let's hope it brings some relief. I've never had it myself. I was once just on the point of having one for a frozen shoulder years ago when physio was suggested and that did the trick.:)


You are so right to try to lose some weight to ease the pressure on your joints. The friend I went to Stratford with has had surgery on her knees but hardly improved her mobility at all. I'm sure she could lose about 3 stone to help herself but I can't help noticing her habits when we eat out. She declines a starter (says she doesn't have enough appetite), plays with the vegetables with her main and then is first to want to see the pudding menu. So while maybe she doesn't eat massive portions (like me:D) she eats the wrong things IMO.


DH traced the leak yesterday. The CH system will need to be drained and a piece of pipe replaced so a plumber is coming tomorrow morning. We have cold water only.:( DH and I have been talking about how our grandparents managed back in the day. We're so used to all mod cons. Fortunately the dishwasher and washing machine are cold feed but I've had to wash my hair with a bowl and jug!:eek: I haven't done that since I was a child.


So now I'm looking half decent with my hair blow dried I'll be joining in Fab Friday. I might be joining you with a throw and candles if it gets cold tonight too LL.:D


I really do need to get down to sorting my wardrobe out and putting some lighter clothes away. At the moment I'm still between seasons in my outfits so very much falling back on jeans and trousers (as I can't bring myself to go back into tights yet), cardigans over tops because I don't want heavy knitwear and a short quilted coat. How's everyone else managing?

lessonlearned

Ah the good old days.......ice on the windows, houses streaming with damp and condensation, washing drying round the fire. Washing my hair in the kitchen using the old "ascot heater". How unhygienic. :rotfl: boiling kettles to wash the dishes. Give me my mod cons any day......:rotfl:

Yes I love period properties but in the winter they can be chilly. You can't skimp on the heating, and you need to light fires and candles, good thick curtains, thick rugs on the floor in the living areas etc. They can be money pits with the high ceilings, and large windows. Elegant yes but devils to heat. We have beefed up the insulation to keep it warm and upgraded the ventilation to stop damp and condensation and it has improved running costs.

Having said that barring a lottery win I think my final home will be a nice cosy bungalow or a swanky city apartment. Easy to run, keep clean and above all warm:rotfl:

Hope you get your boiler issues sorted soon, it sounds simple enough though so shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Re winter clothing.

Now I know this might sound a bit "old lady" but one thing I can swear by is thermals. As you know I worked on site for many years. My office was usually an uninsulated garage that had been given a quick makeover. They looked good enough but they were cold. :rotfl:

I had to look well turned out and elegant at all times so chunky knitwear wasn't really an option so I took the advice of the other girls and invested in thermal underwear, woolly tights and thermal shoe cushioning. It was a lifesaver.

The beauty of thermal underwear and tights is no one can tell. They are nice thin layers which don't add bulk and don't affect the line of your clothes. And nowadays some thermals are really pretty.

My consultant has also recommended keeping joints warm, especially my feet. So before I go on holiday I shall be going on a little shopping expedition to stock up. It will probably be quite cold when I get back.

lessonlearned

Tonight as part of my efforts to get out and about more and be less of a hermit as well as arranging a cinema trip on Sunday I have invited some of my female neighbours round for a "movie night ". They are coming round to watch "Wonderwoman" . Wine or G&Ts and nibbles will probably be consumed.