Embracing the new family dynamics and looking forward to the future with optimism

pollyanna_26

Oddly I've just been wondering if everything is ok with Savvy and her family. I used to look forward to her daily catchups and she is missed .However she's probably busy as usual  I just hope she and her family are well. She's probably reworking her budget due to the rise in food  costs, utilities , fuel and everything else.

Pollyx

Savvy_sewing

Hello, I am doing well thanks. Life is always very busy with so many children about. I have today off well until 6ish tonight. The boys went to stay with Dad last night and I have sneaked down to Poole to the caravan for a little peace. 

I am relaxing in the owners club with a cuppa at the moment, although it is raining so I am delaying my wonder back to the caravan a little longer.  Luckily twin2 and DGD are at home so they will be there when the boys get back if it’s before me. Traffic depending they probably will be. 

I have been for a wander around the park and down to the beach, before the rain came. 

I am looking in to changing the caravan for a slightly bigger one, so we can all use it better. My dreams of Portugal have lit possibility of coming to fruition as I will be 74 before the youngest is old enough to decide what he wants to do. 

So I have invested in the caravan for all of us to use. 

I will probably bring the kids down next weekend at the start of half term, but on 26th we are off to Disneyland in Paris. I paid for it in 2019 then covid came so it’s been delayed, then we were supposed to go at Easter and I was unwell and couldn’t drive for a few weeks.
 I have been working on a different side of the sewing business and no longer really do alterations. I am more on the making side, very part time now I have the boys. 

Mum is still with us, but at 86 she is now very frail and hasn’t left her house since March and before that it was November. I worry as I don’t get as much time with her as I used to do.
Dgd is doing better, and has returned to mainstream school which is a blessing for me. One less fight on my hands. 

I am practicing looking for the positive as much as possible. When I think how far we have all come. 

Currently I am making large tote bags for a local charity that uses them to distribute childrens clothes to those in need, and making Dog leads, collars, bandanas etc to raise funds for a friend who need an assistant dog

GhibliFan

So nice to have an update from you. I used to read your threads years ago when you had the cottage. (I haven't been on here for years and lost my old details and email address).  I'm glad you're not doing alterations, they can be so fiddly and time consuming for not much reward.  I wish you well, and your dear Mum. This pandemic has had such a detrimental effect on the elderly - even if they didn't catch the virus, the isolation has taken a terrible toll on them.  So sad.  I remember your mum and dad going to France sometimes.  Don't the years fly by!?

Enjoy your break - I expect you're well overdue for a bit of "me time"! 

Savvy_sewing

I am home again. The cottage was 2009/10
i have been here since Dec 2010. Longest I have been anywhere. 

The 24 hours away was like stepping into another world. I am tired from the drive, ( not a good sign with here to Paris at the end of the month!). 

Cup of tea time, and wait for the boys to return. Apparently littlest has been sick and sleeping this afternoon. So I may have an interesting night. 

pollyanna_26

I didn't expect to hear from you Savvy when I posted. I'd just been wondering how you were and decided to check the thread to see someone else doing the same thing.

I'm glad you're getting a break to recharge your batteries  and have exciting plans for you all to look forward to. Things sound much better with DGD.

Sending good wishes to your mum she's weathered illness and it's tough at her age in these times. I hope your friend and her family are ok. I can never remember her MSE user name and haven't noticed a post for a long time. The last I remember was her talking about making Chistmas gifts in a blog post   and how much she loved the grandchildren making things for them and her love of growing

i hope your health is ok. I've still got the usual Arthritis and Fibro probelms but so far not caught the virus or flu which I'm grsteful for.

I hope Twin2 is ok and Tw.n1 and her little family.Not forgetting Biggest and her brood. Last time you posted you were talking how DS had pulled himself together so I hope that's continued.  i too remember when you lived in the cottage just you and ds and now you've got a houseful/

Enjoy Disney the youngters must be so excited . It's a good idea to concentrate on makes rather than repairs.

Safe journey with no delays no idea how many times I've said that on your trips to Portugal.

Take care.

pollyx

ETA Autumn is my favourite season too followed by Sring. I'm just a short walk from the beach but the last few years it's been far too crowded  and peoplehave been lighting fires, leaving still hot dispoable BBQs on the sands  and oing many things bannes on a protected over 20  mile coatline with rare flora and fauna along with red suirrela the whole thing  has been mayhem with broken bottles and lots of rubblsh all over the sands and in the woods. Some light fires and leave them burning- fires are banned.

Savvy_sewing

pollyanna_26 said:

I didn't expect to hear from you Savvy when I posted. I'd just been wondering how you were and decided to check the thread to see someone else doing the same thing.

I'm glad you're getting a break to recharge your batteries  and have exciting plans for you all to look forward to. Things sound much better with DGD.

Sending good wishes to your mum she's weathered illness and it's tough at her age in these times. I hope your friend and her family are ok. I can never remember her MSE user name and haven't noticed a post for a long time. The last I remember was her talking about making Chistmas gifts in a blog post   and how much she loved the grandchildren making things for them and her love of growing

i hope your health is ok. I've still got the usual Arthritis and Fibro probelms but so far not caught the virus or flu which I'm grsteful for.

I hope Twin2 is ok and Tw.n1 and her little family.Not forgetting Biggest and her brood. Last time you posted you were talking how DS had pulled himself together so I hope that's continued.  i too remember when you lived in the cottage just you and ds and now you've got a houseful/

Enjoy Disney the youngters must be so excited . It's a good idea to concentrate on makes rather than repairs.

Safe journey with no delays no idea how many times I've said that on your trips to Portugal.

Take care.

pollyx

Thanks Polly,
Molly41 is my friend, although we have not seen each other since Covid, she is always in my thoughts and prayers but as she is so vulnerable I darent risk visiting her. Finding the time would be a good thing. I don’t know where it goes. 

Biggest is coming to Disney with us. 11 of us going! Eek. 

Twin1 is still with her partner and the other kids, they live with his Mum, his Dad died suddenly in the spring while out on a bike ride. He was a year younger than me, which brings home the thoughts of don’t keep things for best if you love it use it, along with the don’t put off until some distant future to do the things you want to do, as you might not be lucky enough to get to do it. 

DS has passed his HGV tests and has been working with an agency but he starts what is hopefully a new permanent job on Monday. He was so excited that he was able to buy a dishwasher for the house he is in. Last year he bought me a tumble dryer. With the boys that has been a godsend although it’s so big it’s in the alcove in my sitting room! 

My health is much better than 10 years ago that’s for sure. I have learnt how to live with the pains, mostly, and keep myself moving as best I can although my left hand is now showing signs of swollen joints etc and I can not sew for long periods of time. That’s why I am aiming to teach more. 

If we could get twin 2 sorted out I would be a happy camper because she is now in the sitting room on the day bed, and we are over crowded. Her engagement didn’t last long, the guy was using her and when she actually refused to lend him any more money he fell out with her and within 3 weeks he apparently is engaged to someone else! 

It’s gone quite here, fingers crossed the boys are asleep and I am going to try to sleep too, time for an audio book on the kindle with a sleep timer on! 

Got to love a gadget. 

pollyanna_26

I'll reply properly tomorrow I'm beginning to think I should head for bed. A hot water bottle leaked in bed last night and mattress , flanellette fitted and upper sheet were soaked along with the duvet so I decided to sleep in another room tonight and needed to make up a bed so did in another room and had to prop the mattress up and deal with the bedding which was soaked.

You sound much more positive now and very good news about DS.

I've written Molly41 down. I used to enjoy her blog posts and remember near the start she was lining up pots and containers to start growing veg and other things. I'll probably read those posts again too quiet here with youngest still  with her boyfriend and the cats.

Sleep tight

pollyx

Savvy_sewing

pollyanna_26 said:

I'll reply properly tomorrow I'm beginning to think I should head for bed. A hot water bottle leaked in bed last night and mattress , flanellette fitted and upper sheet were soaked along with the duvet so I decided to sleep in another room tonight and needed to make up a bed so did in another room and had to prop the mattress up and deal with the bedding which was soaked.

You sound much more positive now and very good news about DS.

I've written Molly41 down. I used to enjoy her blog posts and remember near the start she was lining up pots and containers to start growing veg and other things. I'll probably read those posts again too quiet here with youngest still  with her boyfriend and the cats.

Sleep tight

pollyx

I think you might be thinking of a different friend as Molly41 was unwell even back when I was in the cottage but I will have a think about who else I used to connect with a lot. 

I know a few people are no longer on here as life moves on. 

( yes it’s silly o’clock-Little man woke 10 minutes ago needing a drink, and I had been in a really weird dream so thought I would read my email- which brought me here). 

I am definitely a lot more positive these days, I have had time to study a lot of self help and business books over the last few years and I am definitely looking for the best in everything rather than feeling like I victim ( although there are times I feel very much a victim of circumstances), but as soon as I revert to that kind of thinking I switch it up, see what I am grateful for and start saying thank you for XYZ and turn my thoughts around.
now I shall see about getting back to sleep and thinking about the time on the beach this morning, and the autumn leaves around. I love the colours of autumn. ( not so much the darker colder days). 

GhibliFan

You used to feel a bit low in the winter, I remember, as the days got darker.  S.A.D. I think a lot of people do though, the lack of sunlight must do something to our brains. Thank goodness it only lasts 12 weeks (sounds better than 3 months 😄).

I’m glad to hear DS is getting on well, I think the last time I was regularly on here he wanted to be a Blacksmith.  Good news. 

pollyanna_26

I'm sorry you were woken from your reest hope you managed to get back to sleep. Ibegan a while ago to let all the ups and downs go and  live in the present those memories make us live through some bad or difficult times over and over again and focusing on good times takes us forward rather than dragging us back.

It's a pity Twin 2 was let down so badly it was very familiar to me youngest got preyed on by chancers often after money or worse and had to be rescued often with the aid of our local police . She learned and it stopped happening  and ishappily settledwith her boyfirnd of many years and the rescue cats she;s always resisted getting engaged or married and doesn't intend to have children due to her physical and mental health our GP reckons my toxic ex had Borderlie Personality Disorder and until she finally  got the correct diagnosis  after a 20year fight after trying to be Asperegers wrongly diagnosed by the stupid Psyche at CAMHS her life was very up and down.

I had a letter from the pension service and the exs private  pension companies uniones and savings account with condolances on his passing and asking for details so they could transfer the very large amounts of money to me . I told every one if possible to donate the money to charity somewhere like Womens Aid or the others who helped get him away for good. He gave us nothing but fear and grief his name was never on any utility bills and he spent his money on drink and drugs. To me it was dirty money and I wanted nothing to do with it.

Not ideal once again having someone sleeping on the day bed but I hope it means you have your own bed now rather than the daybed.

The Molly Iremember had a husband in poor health and had health problems herself she often mentioned a daughter you used to say was a lovely girl. Molly had 2 grandchildren a boy and a little girl . The little boy had learning difficulties and I remember him starting at a school that could help him and ge was doing well.

I seem to think Molly wanted to buy a Camper Van or caravan and was making crafts for sale and thinking of all sorts of ways to raise the money.

Her signature on MSE began I will not fear.... and I often repeated her words myself in tough times.

Whether or not thats your Molly you must miss seeing her and your mum.. The last fewyears have disrupted lives and many are trying to adapt to a different normal from the past one.

We now have the Cost of Living crisis and the 4th chancellor in a few weeks not good with Winter approaching.

Your fingers sound like mine my left hand is worse than the right but I'm left handed and often use it more than the right.

Iwear Arthritas gloves a lot which help a lot when I can't sleep or am dropping thigs. I've been buying them for years and they do make a difference especially in cold, damp weather.

Both dd and I use Voltarol Emulgel . Voltarol comes in different strengths Emulgel is the strongest  all can be bought over the counter but Superdoc put mine and dds on repeat prescriptin a long time ago the damp cclder weather has started here and the gel and Arthrits gloves which warm my hands do help.

Hope you get to soak up some sun in Florida 11 of you sounds like one of the school trips we teachers used to take the mid infants on though there were more than 11. You'll have to count heads from time to time to make sure all are present and correct.

pollyx