the hedgehog's balloons.

the_cross_rabbit

wow what a week TFIF. I've done countless meetings in person or on the phone in connection with DD2 and her ongoing mental health issues and college. Thankfully I've been given some excellant advice from CAB and her counsellor today, which has meant that I now have a wealth of information on how to tackle potential future problems with college and seperatly finances. More importantly her counsellor has helped me to better understand her mental health issues and how I can best support her. Which is vital at the moment. We are focusing on just taking one step at a time and looking at ways to increase her self esteem. So today we went to the gym and even though we only spent 5 minutes (literally 5 mins) there, she was buzzing the entire time and wants to go back again. However she has asked me to join her next time , I'm not sure I'm ready for my body to be exposed in leggings.
Best go collect DD1 from the train station
CRx  

the_cross_rabbit

Back from holiday which was very relaxing although tinged with sadness as we found out a couple of hours before we were due to leave that a close family memeber has terminal cancer and only has months to live. A quick dash to see my sister was needed to offer what support I could. We are all absoultley devasted as the person in question was given the all clear last summer, but it has come back with a vengence. But as my BIL has pointed out to my sister at least you get this time (his dad died very suddenly and unexpectedly). Luckily enough we were only holidaying half an hour a way as we were returning home during the week to get DD2 to college as it was her first week back. We also visited the person in question and to be honest they looked better than they have done for the past month, almost at peace with what is happening. We laughed and joked about various things, admired my dad's new bright suit for the funeral and left feeling in a better place my self. The plan is to have a family meal within the next couple of weeks to celebrate their life and their place within the family.
Of little signficance in relation to the above news but life as we all knows continues we are having to seriously having to look at ways to reduce our gas and electric. We already have blankets for snuggling under , but our heating is always at 20c due to DD2 feeling the cold. So we've decided its time for her to put on extra layers and be switching off electrics as she is terrible at this and I am equally terrible and following her and checking its done.So the heating is back on a timer and set to come on twice a day unless it gets really cold. Shopping needs reining in as well, so lots of planning and using things up from shopping from the cupboards, freezer and alottment including the forgotten jars at the back of the cupboard and the none labelled brown stuff in the freezer. The no buying new in 2022 is going well so far, although its a good job the hubbster isn't involved and so far he's bought a new water proof using his christmas money and several books, although these are to help prepare for his teaching courses and to take on site (so library isn't an option). I did look at several secondhand book shop sites but they were actually more expensive than brand new!!!!. Collected, whilst away my mended patchwork quilt that my friend made for my wedding (20 years ago) and to celebrate our 20th she had made us a new one as the orginal is in a delicate state. Super pleased and snuggled under  it last night. 
Other than waiting for the weather to improve to go for a walk thats it.

POSITIVES
1) Being given time to spend with relative before they pass.
2) Nephew was born safe and well (a month early)
3) SIL life was saved by the hospital by giving her an emergency ceasarian.

Please excuse the countless spelling mistakes but I can't be bothered to check.
CRx

the_cross_rabbit

We looked at our most recent energy bill and discovered even though we used less energy in january2022 compared to 2021 we are paying about £30 more!!!! Anyway the trying to cut down the heating temperature crashed and burned on the first day. We got a phone from our in laws asking us what was wrong with the boiler and that we could go up there until it was fixed. Apparently DD2 was so cold that she had put a message on facebook and clan chat a picture of her with her dressing gown on over her clothes, a scarf, a hat and her duvet, with the caption ' I am so cold' . After deflecting many messages of concern and had stopped laughing we agreed that the heating could be on all day but would be set at 19c during the day and put up to 20c when it gets dark. The boiler (heats the water) is set to come on for less hours during the days as well. Its not much but every little helps.
Trying to get back on the healthy me wagon after a bad week today, trying to rev my self up to make a healthy late breakfast and think about getting some exercise although the weather is not encouraging me to go outside. Mum is coming over soon to help me fill in a application form for a volunteers job. I've decided that I need to focus more on me and less on others. Its something I've procrastinatedd about for years, but usually something happens around DD2 and I think whats the point as she is always going to need me to be around. After much soul searching and conversations with the other half I've found something I can do from home and will enable me to utilise my qualification. The hubbster is offically on notice that in 3 years time he will need to share the care role of DD2 and we both work part time if possible. Thats the plan whether it happens or not is another matter but I've got to start somewhere. 

POSITIVES 
1) DD2 humour
2) Fate- perfect volunteer role is available at the charity that just operates down the road and will maybe in the future enable me to go back to work
3) Trying to focus on been healthier and more mindful
CRx 

Karmacat

In spite of DD being freezing (!) it sounds like things are starting to go much better - finding something to do at home that actually uses your qualification is a really big deal, as is an accessible volunteer role to start you on your way.  Glad to see you back  

themadvix

She wouldn't like it here - it never gets to 20! But I appreciate she has mobility issues and it's important she keeps warm. 

The volunteer role sounds good and it sounds like you really need it. Well done for going for it.

the_cross_rabbit

The volunteer role amounted to nothing not even an acknowledgement, and i've really not had the energy to pursue it or any other roles. My dad's wife unfortunately passed away a couple of weeks ago and I've been busy supporting my dad and sister with funeral arrangements and been a shoulder to lean on. We also recieved other bad news that DD2 PA would no longer be able to work with her as she has cancer and a volunteer that the hubbster worked with has taken his own life. I would say that the start to this year has not been the best we've had. With so much bad news we've decided to re evaluate our lives and the way in which we live it. The mortgage will be still be attacked to get it down to zero as quick as possible, but we need to make more savings whilst expanding our lives to discover more about the world and our place in it. More savings is going to be difficult as the cost of living seems to rising on a weekly basis and I'm at a loss to see how we can continue our current lifestyle on the same amount of money. Maybe I can't see the wood for the trees. 
On a more positive note DD1 is coming home this weekend for a week to celebrate the hubbster's big birthday, instead of going away for the week we've rejoined the YHA and have booked to go away next weekend and instead of a holiday in May we have booked a weekend in a camping pod. For the hubbster's actual birthday we are off to his favourite bird reserve and the kids are paying for us all to have cake and coffee as his present, card will be the one that we recycle every year, so hopefully the only expenses will be petrol and fish and chips. The 2 weekend trips has so far saved us about £500 in accomadation fees, although we are only having 6 days away instead of 14. There is a strong possibility that they may work out better than a full week away as DD2  gets really tired and often has to have a day or so back at the cottage, she doesn't sleep well either when not at home so we'll see how it goes.
CRx

Karmacat

I'm glad you're taking action on how you live your life, because that's a terrible, terrible number of life-changing events, I'm so sorry that all that happened and your first event of the good things is DD1 coming home this week?  Very nice, hope you have a lovely time.

the_cross_rabbit

Thanks Karmacat but DD1 didn't come home as she has covid, so she is missing the funeral and her dad's birthday and maybe depending on the results of day 5 and 6 she might not be able to go away wiith us either. Although we are very disappointed, we are just grateful she appears to only be effected by it mildly. 
We currently have a wren setting up camp in our garden and is making its self very known. He is currently telling off a blackbird and a wood pigeon for entering his domain, although I should be grateful this hasn't been extended to us yet! We promised ourselves for the past couple of christmas that we would invest in a wildlife camera, anyway we managed to get one through a well known supermarket chain. It has provided the hubbster countless hours of fun deleting photos, hunting for the animal on camera and trying to figure out who is walking in the garden at night. We've not had anything unusal, but the mice antics have been fun to watch and we've managed to figure out the pond isn't leaking, its the local free for all bird bath.We moved its postion last night to capture a different view of the garden. yesteday was mainly spent clearing out the little greenhouse, which has become a dumping ground, getting it ready for seedlings we've been nuturing inside. I need to move alot on as I don't have many windowsills left to use and its coming up to the time when bumper sowing happens and its all windowsills at the ready. We are just going to grow what we like this year as space on the allotment really needs to be utilised with the cost of food rising. We normally have a few rows of stuff that we've not grown before. Sticking to the tried and tested.Also this year we are not growing as much stuff that is cheap to buy in the supermarkets and concentrating on the stuff that is more expensive. Still going to grow flowers those as they help from a mental health point plus the bees and butterflies love them.
Mother's day was relativley cheap mainly because I bought MIL present from a charity shop and she loved it (brownie points for me) , mum's was a small proseco and small box of chocs that she really enjoyed (diabetic hence the small and why she really enjoyed them).
On the money front (other than mothers day stuff), I closed a savings account as the interest was pants and will be trasnsferring it to my ISA today. Going on my bike to the allotment to save on petrol and hopefully bring back some PSB for tea and cauliflower for tea tomorrow. I should of been at the spa today (DD1 christmas and birthday present from us and mum) with DD1 but obviously we had to move it and it cost me £30 to move the date! We've had our council tax and its gone up £9 a month. The hubbster has had a small wage increase which will in turn put a very very small dent in the price increases Other than that not much else has gone off money wise.
CRx

themadvix

Very sorry to hear about your very sad start to the year CR - it certainly does make you think. Sorry to hear about DD too, although it's good that it's only mild.

You sound like you've got the priorities at the allotment straight. I'm quite surprised that I've not seen many people on the allotments where I've got mine - it seems to be the same faces each visit (and I visit at all times) and no sign of movement on some of them. You'd think people would be keen to maximise their growing potential with the way costs are going.

the_cross_rabbit

Yes same here themadvix. End of April beginning of May you’ll probably see more people when they realise how much they need to do. Some plots where we are never seems to get touched at all even though we know they are rented. Just sowed spring onions, radish and just about to do spinach. Very peaceful with the birds singing.
CRx