NST: January 2021 – the Turtles do the Jitterbug

abundant1972

Good morning 🌞

Early check-in today. Last few days have been quiet and restful, and a chance to recharge the batteries. I feel like I am fine-tuning my life and priorities right now, and slowly but surely getting back on track with life. I just had an image in my head of a needle stuck on a record, and the tune repeating... until finally it jolts back into place, and the song begins again. Maybe it is time to choose a different record to play that isn't scratched haha. 

Bagged a few more NSD's although yesterday was a big shop. Am wanting to cook more, and yesterday made an amazing beancurd udon with hoisin sauce, lentils and vegetables. Am going to be trying more homemade vegetarian noodle-type dishes, as really love that kind of cuisine. 

Re-visited my budget yesterday, and realised it needs some tweaking still. Had some unexpected cash, so was able to pay down some more off my debt. The mountain seems huge still, but I am heading in the right direction for sure... 

Have a great day everyone x  

f0xh0les

Ditty, it is just getting that one first full time contract.   Once you do that, you then have the choice - if you hate it, you go back to part time, if it works, then you have that security.  

I think teaching is going to find itself with a lot of early retirees soon.  When shielding is over, and the school goes back full time, people are going to be re-evaluating  (just like you are), and that may be the time to pounce. 

@abundant1972 - getting close to the 8's on that debt now!

Lauralozzle

Tuesday was a spend day, needed toilet roll, so a small spend for that.

Wednesday and Thursday have both been NSD, and with any luck, so will today. Now at 8/15 for NSD.

The hallway is now plastered, but we still have the bedrooms to do. First bedroom is getting started today. Plasterer irritated me the other day, as he's behind, delays caused by his MOT wanted to know if we wanted him to do the hallway only. We're paying him to do the bedrooms, we want them doing too! Should have finished today, but with a bedroom to finish and two to start, he'll have to come back next week. Means that next week I'll be working with the noise/banging going on which is a little irritating as that's why I booked this week off. 

The mess, things being out of place, it's all beginning to get on my nerves a little to be fair. The cold isn't helping too, the radiators are off until he's done. We stupidly left a radiator outside in the front and a scrappy has taken it. DH told me he thought about taking it in two days before it went missing, but I suppose you live and learn. An extra expense though as we'll have to get one measured up and fitted when the plumber comes back to put them back on.

I don't want to end on a moan though, I'm thankful that we are getting there slowly with the house. That it better than nothing! I'm thankful for cozy blankets and coffee.

ditty1234

f0xh0les said:

Ditty, it is just getting that one first full time contract.   Once you do that, you then have the choice - if you hate it, you go back to part time, if it works, then you have that security.  

I think teaching is going to find itself with a lot of early retirees soon.  When shielding is over, and the school goes back full time, people are going to be re-evaluating  (just like you are), and that may be the time to pounce. 

@abundant1972 - getting close to the 8's on that debt now!

It is like a rule that if you work part time you only get part time, nobody gets the fact that all you want is full time! But yes I might be on the lookout for the roles of those people retiring! :-)

f0xh0les

I remember when my dh decided to leave his IT job and do his PhD and started lecturing, it is one term contract after one term contract and  but as soon as you get the first 'permanent' job, then it is plain sailing afterwards.    Hang on in there.

Perhaps you need a badge ditty - 'Will work full time'  or Full Time Contract Wanted'  -  just keep mentioning to collegues if they know any schools recruiting for full time posts can they give you a shout  - or how about contacting one of those 'teachers only' employment agencies to proactively search on your behalf?  Sometimes it is nothing more than uploading a CV in the right place - but you probably know that already.   Nothing worse than to find out afterward that the job was going and nobody knew you wanted full time.  Funny how people pigeonhole you isn't it?   Get those business cards printed and your CV updated.  If we have nothing else right now, it is time to plan and prepare for 'real life part deux'.

Do  people still use business cards? 

Calling14

Woo hoo so glad it's Friday.

Spent yesterday top up shop lidlee, weather disgusting so spent my afternoon cleaning house and changing bedcovers. Did a small walk in fog. I seemed only person without a dog out.

This morning was so icy took forever to clear the car. Ran out of de icer.  So glad don't have to get up tomorrow. Electrician coming late morning and grandkids moved to Sunday.

NSD 7/15 that's not bad going for halfway through the month.

Grateful for

Brighter day today,  mountains cover in snow this morning with a pink sky was gorgeous.

Drying washing on radiators, with windows open. At least majority is dry.

Feeling upbeat

Shrewbie

Happy Friday turtles 

I feel pretty good. Gymmed today, finished my book (first I’ve managed to finish in years) have eaten well today.

On NSD 5. Today needed a little top up shop. Will probably have pesto pasta for dinner, something easy. 

Let’s see if I can keep up the healthy eating, exercise and alcohol abstinence this weekend!

Grateful for a nice chat with my mum and dad, for having an idea of something nice I could do for the community, for liking my job. 

updating to say grateful to the council workers clearing the snow from our road today

mothernerd

Very icy here this morning (and foggy too). Cleaned the shower, wiped the sink and toilet over, moved my toiletries out of the bathroom (going to try staying separate from mum as much as possible for the next couple of weeks as after vaccination she could pass the virus on to me and not sure how much more my body can take). Padlock was iced up so boiled the kettle for a bowl of water to immerse it in (would have been so funny if after all that preparation we couldn't get her vaccinated because we were locked in the yard). Thought mum was in the kitchen getting her breakfast - no she hadn't woken up.

Woke mum. Did as much as I could to have us both ready on time. Made her a cup of tea and one of hot water (has to bathe her eyes each morning), put out gloves and masks for us both, gathered all the things I needed to have with me. Finally sat reading my book to make myself keep calm. Asked if I could book the taxi for 9.30 am, would she be ready. She thought we only needed it much later, no school run. She had forgotten that the most direct route is banned to cars (little buses have something that lowers the bollards) so drivers have to access it via either end of a long stretch of bypass and the nearer end involves lots of junctions and traffic lights.

Anyway once the lie-a-bed was ready (I was holding my bag, her bag, her gloves and mask and her coat held out for her to slip her arms into) it went rather well. There were lots of workers/ volunteers from those outside warning about steep curbs and a man rolling a manual gritter back and forth across the pavement, people to lead us through each stage of the process, about ten or twelve boots where vaccines were given and well spaced seats for waiting (wait for the vaccine, then wait for 15 minutes before leaving) with people spraying and wiping the seats between patients.

Got home, washed all the clothes we were wearing (my second load of the day, had unloaded the first before we went out) and I've mostly been back in my room since. I have been in the yard. I moved 3 buckets of stones across the yard in my trolley and poured them into the 'chimney' compost bin (it' only works as a compost bin if you use it as a giant funnel on top of a regular compost bin). Now when I filled the buckets I could just about pick them up to move them (underfilled them the first time I used them). Today all the gaps were filled with water which had frozen so very heavy). Collected the bag of compost and mushroom boxes from the shed, the kitchen and odd ones dotted around the garden and filled all the boxes with compost. No idea how full they are as my glasses were completely steamed up by this time and the compost also had lumps of ice in it. Decided not to do 3 more buckets of stones and will take a bag out later to move the boxes of compost into my room. I'm going to give them a couple of days to warm up before adding seeds. The mushroom boxes don't take as much room as a seed tray so i can have a greater variety of seeds in the space available.

Today I am grateful for mum getting the vaccine, for all the lovely people making it happen and for lamb curry - stiil have a portion of the veg curry left but the lamb was so delicious I've taken the second package out of the freezer and used all the veg most in need of using (lamb, leek, carrot and cauli curry).

Toni'sfriend

NSD No 13

Glad the vaccination went well, Mothernerd. The amount that you manage to accomplish puts me to shame. I think I'm due to have my jab next month if all goes well. I've no idea where it will be but the Boy has kindly agreed to drive me if it's not walkable. I saw my neighbour who has just come out of isolation (from a suitable distance, of course) and although she says she's feeling a bit better she certainly doesn't seem well. Not nearly well enough to go back to work. Although she keeps getting phone calls from her employer asking her when she's coming back. She's a home carer. I find it quite disturbing that she's being put under that sort of pressure.

Still just plodding along here with not much happening. At least I've got a bit of motivation back and I'm cleaning and reading again. And I'm baking this weekend. Blueberry muffins for the Boy and a lemon drizzle cake for us. Well, that's the plan anyway. Himself is making dinner later. Sausage and mustard mash and he does make very good mash.

Once the snow goes away I shall start on my little porch. Don't think I can plant much at this time of year but I'll start tidying and planning. Any gardeners suggest easy plants for containers?

DawnW

Toni'sfriend said:

Once the snow goes away I shall start on my little porch. Don't think I can plant much at this time of year but I'll start tidying and planning. Any gardeners suggest easy plants for containers?

Winter flowering pansies can go in now, you can still plant bulbs such as tulips, polyanthus / primrose plants. Herbs such as rosemary, mint and thyme can go in, though the mint won't do much for a month or so. A bit early for much in the way of seeds as yet. I will be sowing chilli seeds later this month, indoors of course, but nothing else yet, unless you have room for broad beans or onions / shallots / garlic.