Finally Debt Free After 34 Years, But Still Need to Live Frugally

HairyHandofDartmoor

Yesterday DH and I drove to the sea at about 4pm and had a short walk ⛱. There weren't too many people there so it was fairly easy to socially distance and I really enjoyed getting a sea breeze on my face and being somewhere different 🙂. It did DH good to have a walk and a change of scene too, as he's only been to the park or in the car to drop me off places since lockdown.

Today it's much cooler here, but dry with sunny spells 🌥. We've had rain in the night for the past two nights 💧which is good for the garden as I water the pots but not the borders usually. 

This morning I went for a forty minute walk in the park first thing 🌲🌳. It started off a bit chilly but I ended up carrying my jacket halfway through. There are definitely less people in the park when it's a bit cooler. I always feel better when I have a walk first things as I can get a bit restless otherwise.

When I got back DH looked to see if we had any sandpaper. We managed to find some between us and then we both went out to have a look at our garden bench. DH ended up sanding the whole bench 😁 while I pulled weeds out of our wall 🌿. I'm really pleased that the bench is sanded and that DH did it because it enabled me to get lots of weeding done 😃. It's going to be showery tomorrow 🌧 so I'm going to do indoor jobs and then paint the bench with wood stain on Sunday. I'll put a tarpaulin over the bench tonight to protect it until then.

The walk and the weeding has made me feel really tired and achey though 😣 (I suppose it's built up from what I've been doing on other days too) so I'm not going to do much for the rest of the day. My neck, back and fingers are aching and so is my bunion 😣 . I've put some bedding on to wash and I've got some clean washing to fold up and put away. But apart from that I'm going to sit and relax or I won't be fit for anything tomorrow. 

This week seems to have gone really quickly but I have got a lot of jobs done, as well as doing my eighth assignment so I think I've made good use of my first week off 🙂.

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

This week seems to have gone really quickly but I have got a lot of jobs done, as well as going my eighth assignment so I think I've made good use of my first week off 🙂.

You can be justifiably pleased with what you've achieved this week, HH.  If your body is protesting a bit at the moment it's a sign you deserve a well-earned break.


It rained a bit overnight here but not enough to make much of a difference,  It's a mixture of sunshine and cloud now but boy, it sure is windy. It often is here though, we're pretty high and exposed. Lots of blossom and petals have blown off our bushes and trees.  DH doesn't think the apples will do too well this year as we had really strong winds when the blossom was on.  We have some lovely clumps of peonies (one of my favourite flowers) but they're in full bloom round this time of year when it's either raining heavily or blowing a gale.  The flowers never last long before being ruined.  Such a shame..

doingitanyway

Well done on the bench and the garden weeding. Great result.
I envy you the sea air. It's funny but this lockdown has changed my view on where I want to move to next. 
I also had peonies. Very beautiful but so short lived...
Have a relaxing evening.

HairyHandofDartmoor

I've just found out from DS3 that he's not planning on coming home for the entire summer holiday but will just visit a couple of times. Although I half expected this I still feel disappointed 😥. I know he's lost touch with his friends here and gets bored in the holidays and spends most of his time in his room, so I can understand that he'd rather stay in his uni town where he's got friends. But it still makes me feel sad 😥. The fact that I did the exact same thing when I was at uni doesn't make me feel any better. Nobody else can hurt you like your children can and they don't even do it on purpose, they hurt you when they stop needing you  😥.

Anyway he did say he'd visit for a few days and spend time with us then and perhaps we can visit him for a few days and go for some days out where he's located. I've got to try and focus on the positive and be glad that he's happy at uni and has got friends there and is confident enough not to need us. Sometimes I'd like to be needed though 😐.

This is all depending upon lockdown rules of course as to whether we can visit him or whether he can visit us. Who knows what's going to happen in the months ahead. Judging by the lack of social distancing on various beaches this week, either the virus will spread like mad and infect loads more people 😱 OR we'll develop herd immunity 🤣.

HairyHandofDartmoor

doingitanyway said:

Well done on the bench and the garden weeding. Great result.
I envy you the sea air. It's funny but this lockdown has changed my view on where I want to move to next. 
I also had peonies. Very beautiful but so short lived...
Have a relaxing evening.

Thank you DIA . There is something very healing about sea air and looking at the sea.

beanielou

I think you have been such a busy bee & achieved so much this week.
I so get what you mean about your DS.  I miss mine sometimes so much that it hurts but of course as we know that is part of them growing up.

beanielou

The weather here has totally changed so it is very windy & very rainy.

elizabethhull

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

I've just found out from DS3 that he's not planning on coming home for the entire summer holiday but will just visit a couple of times.......
Nobody else can hurt you like your children can and they don't even do it on purpose, they hurt you when they stop needing you  😥.

What a shame he'll be away so long. I suppose it shows you've done your parental job well when they're independent. The next stage is that they start thinking they can tell YOU what to do - the cheek of it !!!!

[Deleted User]

HairyHandofDartmoor said:

I've just found out from DS3 that he's not planning on coming home for the entire summer holiday but will just visit a couple of times. Although I half expected this I still feel disappointed 😥. I know he's lost touch with his friends here and gets bored in the holidays and spends most of his time in his room, so I can understand that he'd rather stay in his uni town where he's got friends. But it still makes me feel sad 😥. The fact that I did the exact same thing when I was at uni doesn't make me feel any better. Nobody else can hurt you like your children can and they don't even do it on purpose, they hurt you when they stop needing you  😥.

Aaaw, HH, please don't feel bad that DS isn't spending the whole summer vac at home.  He didn't mean to hurt or upset you, but you said that yourself.  You say you did the self-same thing when you were a student and you know you wouldn't have hurt your own parents for the world..  I did the same thing too, it's just the way life evolves.  Maybe you're feeling extra-emotional because of all upheaval and uncertainty that the virus has made to your lives. Also, he's the youngest of your DSs and we always think of the youngest  as our 'baby' however old they are .We don't love our parents any less for not seeing them so much, we just have so much else going on that we don't feel the need to be physically with them so much.  It must be much nicer and comforting for all of you that with modern technology  you can keep in touch virtually, 'face to face'.  Not like my day (and yours) when all we had was a landline phone (in my case queuing for a vacant phonebox with impatient people outside gesturing me to hurry up) or letter.


On the plus side, you and DH won't have to drive back and forth transporting all his possessions this term.  When/if you can get to visit him you can do so at your leisure and make a real break of it.

Enjoy your weekend.  Your seaside walk sounded lovely and just the tonic you and DH needed. xx

Bubblesmum

Sun_Addict said:

I don’t like clowns either although not a phobia as with buttons. My cousin also has a button phobia.

Oh dear we would be friends in RL not only do I have a collection of button I am Mrs Button