NST April 2021: Diamonds and Daisies

Thrifty_Taylor

Thank you all. Woke super early, must be the excitement of having hubby home! Going to be a spend day today, getting shopping this morning, then having a rare takeaway tonight to celebrate hubby's return 😁

Have a lovely day too x

Toni'sfriend

That's really good news, Thrifty. I hope you both enjoy the take away.

mothernerd

I think I may need to go for a lie down on the naughty chaise longue. Wednesday and Thursday ended up being NSDs (up to 15 now). Wouldn't have been but when I tried to put an order through, the company kept messing me about with passwords - too tired so just came out of it. have been wondering what to do ever since. We have food, that I could make (slightly peculiar) meals from. I have nothing to drink but tap water (and the odd slug of orange juice which I shouldn't but sometimes I need the sugar hit), we are out of bread, no cake, no biscuits, no sweets (except mum's licorice), no crisp (except mum's plain ones and I have taken the odd pack of those), no chocolate.

I should not have any of those really and I have been managing but am struggling with cravings. It's not general - I know precisely which bar of chocolate I want and which biscuits (for the past few days I have been eating ood shortbread which mum was going to give to the birds and I don't like shortbread. Today (having found my password book again) I have put in a modified version of the 'self-indulgent' order (includes my biscuits but not the chocolate, lots of decaff coke - if things got really bad any local alternative would be straight diet and the corner shop had run out of that 3 weeks ago), modified to add some fresh veg and things we are out of. I will do a 'proper order' later but will pick some time next week for delivery. I will continue to use up all the freezer bits and ood stuff, give the fridge a good clean.

I have also ordered paint and some miscellaneous bits.

Yesterday and Wednesday were mostly spent painting my raised beds with the last of the paint I ordered in autumn and the one that arrived this week. Mum has finished off the silver gate paint (hammerite) and insisted that there was some in the shed (I thought there wasn't - that's why I'd ordered a new one), as well as black paint for the straight bits of the gate (lot of palaver finding that and now mum  has decided to have the gate all silver). So spent a long while yesterday emptying the shed (some heavy and lots of bulky/ awkward shaped bits. About two hours as not much of me is working and the bits that are, are complaining. (At one point on Wednesday I was sitting in the bathroom with my hands over my eyes, just chanting "I will not cry, I will not feel sorry for myself".

No silver paint (and had to fish the tin out of the bottom of the bin to check exactly what it was called). Two raised beds more or less painted (need to turn one over and do the bottom edge). The shoulder pain I have is because I was resting my forearm on the top of the bed to hold my weight and paying attention to the painting arm/ hand or alternatively, when I had to stand up, holding on to the frame of my old polytunnel to keep my balance. Just before I stopped for lunch the paint can went over. I did not knock it off - if I hadn't been reaching for it, I wouldn't have caught it as fast as I did. Scooped as much as possible up using an old dustpan and put it in a paint tray. Put the lid back on what was left in the tin. Have decided that the old driveway will be painted blue and spread out what was left in a thin layer. Was thoroughly tired by the time I stopped yesterday evening.

So needed to order more silver paint and more blue paint (the smaller one I ordered came yesterday so have enough to be going on with). The blue paint I have cost £20 (the autumn orders were done after mum put a 2 month moratorium on me spending anything, I checked the can and it came from the EU and wasn't sure if it would be available after January this year or how much it would cost).  As we were going into the autumn/ winter lock down, I was aware that the first things to sell out were paints and garden stuff. So this morning bought one can from the same people as earlier in the week but they only had one can. Alternatives were £27.52 and £39.99 (yes they are the same size - there are usually price variations on this item). Then found someone selling it at £18 a can, if you bought 5. I know I will need another 2 or 3 this year but next year the shed, some fence panels and some of the large pots will need a fresh coat so it will get used but don't think I've ever bought so many cans of paint in one go (usually because I'm the one carrying it home. Think I bought 10 over a couple of days when I was doing the old house up for selling but that was because the cream colour I'd started using was out of stock online, local store only had 1 on the shelf but they helpfully told me what stock was available in all the nearest other branches and I got on the bus with my trusty 65 l rucksack and brought them all home.

So silver paint ordered, lots of blue paint ordered, plus 2 packs of seeds (crimson flowered broad beans which will look good growing up the back fence with mum's clematis and Livingstone daisies which I grew last year but my seedlings were destroyed when the cover blew off the polytunnel - 3 times in a fortnight), a pack of children's chalks - so I can draw a level line on the side fence and decide
whether to have the beds straight or go with the slope of the garden (plenty of time to decide that) and a book for me (just finished the 2nd and 3rd in the series).

Think I will have something to eat before I force myself back out to do what I can (still have some paint in a tray with a plastic cover over it). Once they are painted, I have to get them in line, make sure they are level and then start filling them (empty all the buckets and containers first). After that it's putting holes in the bottoms of the buckets and painting them (complimentary blue) and continue with the old raised bed boards. Which is my weekend and probably most of next week spoken for (with lots of resting in between and doing all I can to prevent further injury or aggravating existing ones).

I am grateful for orange juice, defrosted berries with vanilla ice cream, cooking bacon with chestnut mushrooms and tinned toms, good novels and escapist fiction, Torchwood, Spooks and the Irregulars, charity shops, that I can walk a bit (soon run out of steam, a few times up and down the yard), making meals from freezer findings (I'm sounding food obsessed here). See you later turtles. Oh and decluttering - old fluffy boots need binning (blue paint - they were being used up) and not sure I can bear to wear my blue dress again (very holey and the hem got blue paint on it yesterday - I do have an alternative painting outfit).

Shrewbie

Hello lovely turtles. Just popping on to say my first week at work went really well. I was a little overwhelmed the first couple of days but now I feel very positive. It was also nice to go somewhere and see real people!!
Very glad to hear your news thrifty,
  I'm off to catch up with all of this week's posts!! 

Toni'sfriend

Did the weekly fruit and veg shop this morning. Himself actually paid but I dare say I'll have to recompense him at some point. Posted our voting papers whilst we were out. A beautiful day here today again.

lcc86

Spend day here as needed some eggs. Also had to buy new swimming goggles as went to put mine on today before I got in the pool and the strap snapped off. Was also naughty and bought a spare swimming costume which wasn't strictly needed but useful to have now I'm swimming more.

Cycled to the farm shop to get the eggs so have deffo got my exercise done for the day - 6k total. Am super up to date at work which feels good! Am on call tomorrow so we'll see what happens there.

Grateful for a good swim, a good bike ride, and good weather today.

mothernerd

More painting, 3 raised beds now done - will check tomorrow if the last one needs further coats. If I am strong enough will be putting two of them in place but not going to do anything foolish. I also need to tidy all the shed contents which are mainly outside the shed - could do a lot of that sitting down (screws and drill bits). Very tired and once again close to crying (I will not cry, I will not feel sorry for myself). Moved several stone garden ornaments at mum's request.

Mid afternoon she suggested that when I'd had a shower and was presentable, I could take a taxi home to put DS3's card through the door and come straight back in the taxi. His birthday's tomorrow. well no, I ain't doing it. Her alternative didn't involve getting out of my painting rags but taking the card to the post box - I'm struggling to get up and down the yard. Asked mum to go through a bag of small ornaments that have been wrapped up for the past 5 years and 3 months. She's decided to glue some of them (the tacky ones imho) onto pieces of slate and put the outside (a step closer to getting rid, methinks).

Grateful for ibuprofen, the bed, decaff coke and chocolate, finishing stage one of the garden renovation.

f0xh0les

Can DS3 not wander/taxi over for a socially distanced cup of birthday tea whilst perched on a raised bed to get his card? The weather is supposed to be nice, and it would save you a trip.   Hope you do not have to cry, but if you do, we will not think badly of you mothernerd.

Still on NSD9 but food is in the house and I have a bit of a plan to keep myself busy. This weekend is for knocking jobs off the list for good.

DS4 came back from football after school looking like a lobster, sunblock is definitely necessary on a daily basis.  He went straight into a cool salty bath and came out looking much more human... but the mum-guilt!!!!  

Aiming for 2 NSDs in a row this weekend. 

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

f0xh0les said:

Can DS3 not wander/taxi over for a socially distanced cup of birthday tea whilst perched on a raised bed to get his card? The weather is supposed to be nice, and it would save you a trip.   Hope you do not have to cry, but if you do, we will not think badly of you mothernerd.

sounds like a good idea f0xh0les Hope you are having a restful evening mothernerd

spendy day here as had ran out of cat food, bought that and essentials like cheese and wine.  Had a little walk in the evening sunshine.

This morning i attended a virtual meeting for self employment role.  Then studied all afternoon. Getting panicked now as deadline a few weeks off!  

Got revised council tax bill but need a clear head to check it ....

gratitudes - washing dry on the line; friendly meeting this morning; it's Fri-yay

Deni x

facethemusic

Great news thrifty, hope you enjoyed your takeaway and Mr Thrifty is happy to be home. 
Sounding really positive in the new job shrewbie.

Friday- NSD 13. 
Busy day at work but have got nothing done at home. 
Grateful today for reaching my step count aim (didn't look likely but I convinced myself the dog needed an extra late night walk), activities starting to happen again and a plan for the weekend.