Travelling On

Karmacat

Today, however, the toughness is merely about lack of sleep 😁 I've been calling it a dream, but I actually think it was a visit from one of my cats - jumping up on the bed and playing with my fingers, as she used to.  She had her claws out though  and she woke me up.  Come 4am, I was still awake ... I drank my coffee *very* soon after getting up   

So ... jobs ... wm is on, I need to scrub the floor and skirting board in the alcove where the bookcase will go, then ... ta-da ... experiment with attaching reinforcements to the edge of the bookcase where I've been cutting.  I have my dad's drill.  He gave it to me in the late 1980s I think  it still worked a few years ago.  If it doesn't, sister will bring over hers tomorrow.  I'll be taking ridiculous photos.

apple_muncher

Oooh, have fun with the drill...!

Staffordia

Karmacat said:

Staffordia said:

Our monthly DD has increased from £175 to £301. My OH's elderly mother lives with us, so the heating is on 21 degrees day and night!  I  find it unbearable but she would rather turn it even higher than put a cardigan on. My OH has stopped her doing that at least.

Gosh, Staffordia, I'm glad your OH was firm with his mother - this whole issue of not putting a layer on is crazy!  I understand if there's a skin problem, but some fabrics are useable even then.

Her mother, we're both women, not that you would have known that  

As far as I'm aware, there's no skin problem just old age cantankerousness  

Karmacat

Staffordia said:

Karmacat said:

Staffordia said:

Our monthly DD has increased from £175 to £301. My OH's elderly mother lives with us, so the heating is on 21 degrees day and night!  I  find it unbearable but she would rather turn it even higher than put a cardigan on. My OH has stopped her doing that at least.

Gosh, Staffordia, I'm glad your OH was firm with his mother - this whole issue of not putting a layer on is crazy!  I understand if there's a skin problem, but some fabrics are useable even then.

Her mother, we're both women, not that you would have known that  

As far as I'm aware, there's no skin problem just old age cantankerousness  

Sorry!  An unwarranted assumption on my part.

And ah, cantankerousness.  Yes  

badmemory

I confess to being on the other side in this.  I know I should turn the heating down & I have but not as much as I should.  If I turn it down anymore we are talking me wearing a coat all day & when I try to move it feels like frost bite has got me.  If I use a blanket I am never getting out of the chair at all.

Karmacat

Badmemory, it's a hard one - I could probably do a *little* bit more on the temperature, but not much.  I *do* wear a light summer jacket inside the house, I confess - but not a coat, that would feel like a straitjacket.  I have a light fleece over my knees - incidentally, it stops me being scorched by my laptop when it's on my knee, like it is now  and I'm not kidding   

Still, it looks like spring out there!  And I have the window open, as I've been DIYing, and it feels like a warm spring day, for sure.  The DIY, as apple picked up, is the metal plates to reinforce the new bookcase end; the shelves run all the way along the bookcase, but this internal vertical, the one that's now the external end wall, is made up of squares of mdf, the width and height of the shelf.  So, not exactly secure.  But 2 of the 4 *are* now secure, I've properly reinforced them, my dad's drill worked so I could drill holes for the screws, all's well with the world.  Temporarily.  There now.

Alchemilla

Did you do the skirting boards?

edinburgher

Only on MFW (or possibly the Old Style board?) would there be a multi-page debate about porridge cooking! I am impervious to the charms of porridge (never fills me up, even if I have a ludicrously large portion), usually break my fast with scrambled eggs and some other protein. When I used to make porridge in the office, I just tipped in about a cup of just-boiled water into my microwavable soup cup along with the oats and then blasted them for 2 minutes, stirring in the middle. Those were regular council oats (not too big, not too small). If @Karmacat was taking 5 mins to cook "dust", I can't help but wonder what she was ending up with!

All the chat about energy depression has got me thinking. One of our "nice to haves" was having our front door replaced with a small internal porch area to help keep the heat in as there's a great big multi-pane glass door and surround. As this looks to be poor value for money, we'd then considered replacing the front door (also very expensive). Then it hit me! We're just about to donate several pairs of thermally lined curtains to charity/fabric recycling. Why not just keep one of these and put up a curtain pole above the front door? Sounds doable and cheap and could really held regulate the temp at the front of the house in winter (where the thermostat is)?

Karmacat

Alchemilla said:

Did you do the skirting boards?

I did!  It was ridiculously easy in the end, thank you!  And I've also installed 2 of the metal plates to reinforce the new bookcase stand.  Marked where the holes needed to be with a felt pen, drilled with a tiny drill bit, got 4 screws in each one.  Nice phone chat with a friend as well - I've tried to not do too much, because of more DIY tomorrow with my sister.  I'm absolutely *sure* that the bookcase will be in place tomorrow, and I'm thrilled 🌈🦄🌟

Karmacat

edinburgher said:

Only on MFW (or possibly the Old Style board?) would there be a multi-page debate about porridge cooking! I am impervious to the charms of porridge (never fills me up, even if I have a ludicrously large portion), usually break my fast with scrambled eggs and some other protein.[/quote]
Slightly embarrassing about this porridge discussion 🤣🤣🤣  I'm with you on the protein - my porridge has milled linseed, peanut butter and pumpkin seeds, plus the classic ashwagandha.  

 
[quote]If @Karmacat was taking 5 mins to cook "dust", I can't help but wonder what she was ending up with! [/quote]It was mashed to smithereens, I've realised 🙄

All the chat about energy depression has got me thinking. One of our "nice to haves" was having our front door replaced with a small internal porch area to help keep the heat in as there's a great big multi-pane glass door and surround. As this looks to be poor value for money, we'd then considered replacing the front door (also very expensive). Then it hit me! We're just about to donate several pairs of thermally lined curtains to charity/fabric recycling. Why not just keep one of these and put up a curtain pole above the front door? Sounds doable and cheap and could really held regulate the temp at the front of the house in winter (where the thermostat is)?

That's great!  We definitely need to rationalise things and make things more efficient, and that's a great way to do it.  I bought a lot of blackout material when I was getting my curtains made (ahem, by my mother!) and I'm sure that would help.