NST August 2021: Lights, Camera, Action!

ditty1234

RIght so managed NSD day by staying at home and listening to audiobook. Borrowed gazebo from neighbor so ds2 and I could eat together even though it was raining a bit. Actually nice evening. 
Ds2 is still self isolating mostly in his room. On Thursday he tested positive in pcr test. TOnight he tested negative in 2 flow tests? Just too weird. I told him to just to stay in his room anyways 
And the knitting has started - 30 years later and my hands remember. Thanks to @sashanut and lovely neighbors. I have knitted almost an inch of a test knit. 
Had a video call w ds1 who has suffered 2 days in hospital without visits, due to the covid problem, he is well bored but does understand why I can't visit. 
Grateful for knitting, call from friend, and for some drawing pastels from nice neighbour. 

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#13
A very wet & breezy day. Walked 4.75miles with hubby to post office. Got my sewing machine out this afternoon & started assembling the stockings I cut out the other day. Had 2 enquiries from customers, so going to be quite busy next week!
Nipped to Mum's then spent the evening knitting & watching TV.
Grateful for my new jumper fitting nicely, a nice walk in the rain, funny TV programmes

mothernerd

Yesterday was long, tiring but ultimately happy. Went in the yard to do some tidying. I have been trying to work out which things I can manage, so I could identify the most urgent things for DS2 to do. It had rained overnight so my work clothes and the cover for polytunnel were wet through again (because someone locked all the doors when I was planning another two hours outside). Did a little bit, mainly collecting bottles and rubbish in bin bags in the trolley - was going to staple a row of bin bags to the top of the fence behind the shed to house all the bottles. Did that twice before heavy rain stopped me (don't know who got the promised sunshine but it wasn't us).

Shortly afterwards we had visitors. Mum had phoned mummy of twins, to ask her to go 'shopping' for her. So we had a houseful of rugrats. M-o-T herded them all in (4 girls, 4 to 11 years old) and then went back to the car (for a moment I thought she was leaving them). I provided lemon barley water, paper cups and tea for mum, searched for the small table and found it under one of mum's 'creations' for the fairy grotty. The toy cupboard was opened. Mum claimed to have tidied it - in reality she'd bundled all the dvds and games DS2 brought us into a carrier bag so that 'he could take them back with him'. I didn't think this would happen as he first offered us the tv, dvd player and games machine when he moved in with the gf a year ago. 

Anyhow the very important shopping was to buy 10 pounds worth of chocolate items and deliver them to church for the chocolate tombola at next week's fair (stalls in the local park). If she had asked, even the day before, I could have had a delivery and combined them with some of the items on my list. Not at all sure about the safety angle (2nd hand exposure to countless people) but I've stopped arguing and am picking my battles.

They left, I made a gorgeous cauliflower cheese with pasta (I asked but mum didn't want any) for lunch. Leftover cheese sauce, some raw florets to go with dips, small amount of cooked cauliflower (used a whole cauliflower) and tipped in what was left in the jar
of pasta, thinking I can throw any leftover veg into a pasta bake. Asked if I could have half the bag of prawns (mum wanted salmon, prawns and haddock to make a fish pie - she doesn't like prawns, I love them but it was terrible that I had eaten the previous pack of prawns). I set half the bag to defrost and mixed half the shop bought coleslaw with tomato puree and Worcestershire sauce to go with the prawns (bought mum cheese coleslaw as well as normal so she won't miss half a pack).

Laptop was charged so started to check out recipes. Saturday visitor came so I made cups of tea and started on the gingerbread (took a chair into the kitchen part way through, as I'd been standing too long). Gingerbread was nearly ready to go in the oven when another car drove up. So opened the door, more tea made, found a vase for the flowers they brought. Gingerbread in the oven, grated more cheese for quiche, grated and juiced 5 lemons for lemon drizzle cake. They're all Daily Fail readers so minimal compliance with any regulations, no masks, utter denial of climate change (flying off into the sun next week) and no perception that a shortage of 10,000 lorry drivers will affect the supply chain for anyone other than KFC and Nando's.

I needed to stretch my back, waited patiently to politely excuse myself then left anyway as the riveting discussion of how many tests, visas and processes were needed to travel to Spain and get back into this country morphed into a the merits of tripe, cow heels (no longer available sadly), whole tongues, hearts and gizzards. The 3 of them left together, just as the ginger cake was ready to come out (had already checked it twice).

Tried to get back into cooking but my energy had gone. Checked over the lemon drizzle and scone recipes again but settled for making 2 small quiches (more leftovers bacon and mushrooms, cheese and onion and the last of the old eggs) and mixing the prawns into the zingy coleslaw  and adding to the mountain of washed pots I'd accumulated over the afternoon. Couldn't find the jug to mix eggs and milk for the quiche. Checked the kitchen twice because i had so many things out on the counter or perched on top of things (laptop). Had already asked about the lemon squeezer and ended up using a fork. Then remembered I'd mixed the lemon barley in it and it was still on the cupboard by the tv where I'd poured it and handed it out.

Checked the laptop to see if there was an update on DS2 and gf's arrival. I showered, washed my hair and put a clean dress on. Mum asked was there was anything for tea or were we having takeaway so I made her a plate up, then one for me (spilled prawn sauce on myself). DS2 messaged to say they would arrive about 6 pm so I put the tandooried fillets in the oven. They arrived, didn't want food (they were visiting a friend of DS2's with birthday presents and then going to eat afterwards). They brought gorgeous roses (red, yellow and a variegated in between one), a card for next week, a present to be opened at once (a digital photo frame which needed setting up). They've loaded a mixture of photos from DS1s wedding and since, the 2 of them in NI (visiting her mum) and at a couple of recent weddings (I'd seen most of them but had only shown mum some of them). None of DS3 as d-o-l hasn't met him yet. Mum said he and DS2 don't get on (mainly DS2's fault).

Photos were taken with me and mum (several combinations as it was difficult to get more than 3 of us in - mum and I stayed in our chairs), they opened a few pickle jars for me (we have been promised jam made by her father, they had left it behind), they will take the videos etc away at some point (they suggested taking the tv to my ex but I'm not parting with it, analogue tv and Netfilms works for me). They were using taxis, so it wouldn't have left yesterday anyway. They also both helped in the yard, moved about a dozen filled pots, put the shelves near to where I want them and the frame for the old swing and DS2 moved another 3 of the concrete edging blocks to the gate (I only asked for permission to have 6 of them there, as it's in mum's part of the garden).

I explained that my next big job is to dig out around the edge of the front 'garden' (stones with one stone circled plant in the middle) and lay the edging stones but I need to get sand and cement mix from bnq. Lovely d-o-l offered to bring things like that for me when they are in the car and said they will come back the weekend after next (next weekend is the Yorkshire Dales) and do a few hours to help me. They took some of the gingerbread with them (finding bags for people to put things in was another job I did a lot of)

I put the roses in a vase, told mum I was going to rest but would come back to dry the pots and wash up. She did do a lot of the drying but I went back twice to wash any remaining bits and pack cooled food away. I asked mum if she wanted a Sunday dinner' today or whether we should continue eating 'bits'. She left it up to me and I chose 'bits' (can then see what else I have that can be used up creatively - it's all fairly healthy and I can add in things that have been around for a while). It's a good way of getting back into cooking as I can just add one or two new things at a time. Was asleep shortly after 9 pm.

Grateful for a visit from DS2 and d-o-l, for mum enjoying her visitors (although I worry how many people they have all been in  contact with) and the prospect of a nice quiet easy day.

Not sure if I keep my NSD because mum gave M-o-T 10 pounds to spend on chocolate.

f0xh0les

Yes you do mothernerd - it was her spend, not yours, and now I fancy a ginger cake, but I am making a plum crumble (shhh! it's a secret) with free plums instead. Had to go out shopping again, as we had somehow run out of butter and milk (hungry ghosts) and you can't make d/f custard yet with boiling water well, I suppose you  could, but it would be horrid.  Easy supper tonight - sausage sandwiches on french bread. 

Tonight I will fold laundry, do an inventory of the pantry and freezer, and start racking up some more NSDs, I am only on 9 !!!

lcc86

@ditty1234 I had a similar experience when I tested positive, every test I then did afterwards was negative. Track and trace told me I couldn't trust the results of the negative ones as I'd had a positive one, and that I shouldn't do a test for 90 days because it won't be accurate, which made absolutely no sense to me as they do them routinely in hospitals when they're looking to discharge covid patients! But I digress....

Today was a NSD. Took my niece to see my share horse and she ran alongside while I rode and even sat on him when we got back to the yard. She promptly fell asleep in the car on the way home so looks like a successful day for her.

Spent some time with my sister and her partner, then came home to watch the footy, had an early dinner and just running a bath ready for tomorrow. 

mothernerd

Dried all my washing on the line - heavy grey white clouds at the start and finish of the day but it didn't rain and we even had bits of blue sky at one point. All meals from the fridge - rice salad with bacon and mushroom quiche, remains of the lettuce and prawn coleslaw with rice salad, tomatoes and grapes, mum had half the c & o quiche with something (can't remember), we both had tandoori fillets with one baked potato each for tea and I had berries with vanilla ice cream. Any gaps in between were filled with gingerbread cake. I wasn't allowed to make the lemon drizzle because there wasn't much milk left (which is somehow my fault rather than all the tea guzzling visitors yesterday).

Did a tiny bit of sorting outside but mostly reading, playing simple games and resting.

Grateful for online renewal of books, easy food from the freezer, books.

ldee2111

Still on NSD 9

Yesterday was grocery delivery day and today we took DS to the cinema to see an animation of Julia Donaldson stories and ate out for lunch. I did make a tub of sweet popcorn at home, take our water bottles, and a flask of jasmine tea with me. Cinema treats are so overpriced. 

Grateful for a somewhat ‘normal’ day out with OH and DS, seeing the beautiful animations of books DS enjoys, homemade popcorn.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for yellow cars (they're a rarity and I saw several today - though we did travel 200 miles...!), for being able to rustle up a super quick tea, for my handy dh, for my flexible dc, for 95% chocolate.

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#13 (had miscounted) I've had a brilliant day! Spent the morning sewing & listening to the radio. Had my leftover pizza for dinner & read my book, then headed outside. Hoovered the bonfire debris out my car, strimmed half the garden (1/4 acre plot, the weeds have grown chest high in the 3 weeks I've been recuperating!), then did some weeding, but not for too long as the midges were put en force! Uploaded a couple of photos of two chickens I've made on to different FB pages. Washed up after tea, then pampered myself. Nails painted, shoes polished, bag tidied, so all ready to return to work tomorrow!

Grateful for a tidier garden, seeing little frogs hopping out of the strimmer's path, pampering, sunshine

mothernerd

I've been very very naughty and I'm not a bit sorry. I shall recline on the naughty chaise longue with my ankle raised and later I shall require the naughty sedan chair and four bearers (of any sex) to convey me into the garden for a picnic. If they don't have to be anywhere else, I can direct them to move various items around the garden. Today has been spendy but had enormous therapeutic value.

Someone from the extended family was coming to pick some things up to take them to the tip for us, so before 8 am I was outside, lining up 2 small tvs, 2 tv aerials, 1 sewing machine and 3 large lumps of wood - 2 foot long pieces of tree trunk about a foot in diameter and one root bit from a dug out shrub, by the gate. Went behind the shed to tidy some plastic bottles and add some support for the potatoes growing there and mum started calling me (wanted me to do the job I'd already completed couple with the car were 10 minutes away.

They arrived, loaded up, came inside for about ten minutes, mum decided the old microwave could go (it has lots of rust patches and I ordered the replacement at the end of last year in case it gave up the ghost) so I lifted it down and asked for help putting the new one on the shelf. Mum didn't want it on the shelf, it's too high for her so I asked for help getting it down again and wiped the counter where it had been sitting. Plugged it in and can get it on full power and set it for a certain time (will need to work out the details of that but I knew enough to let the old one go - I'll take risks if mum is willing to let anything go). I gave them ginger cake to take home with them.

I was hot and sweaty so washed, changed into my good dress (actually remembered to go and get garden gloves from the shed to keep my nails clean), added arch supports, support bandage and mountain climbing trainers (such a change from wellies), gathered up my bags and phoned for a taxi to take me to my appointment with the Practice Nurse (lower case letters make it sound like she doesn't know what she's doing). Had to phone second choice taxi as regular one had a 30 - 40 minute wait. Monday morning and I was the only one in the waiting room who wasn't a staff member. Read a few pages of my book and then was called in by yet another new nurse. 

She looked worried when I took out my pad with my list but we started the diabetic review. She had to move my hand onto the desk as my hand tremors started when she put the little clip on to do my pulse. She had to try 2 machines to do my blood pressure (fine, I have wonderful blood pressure). She thought I felt clammy and I explained about thinking I had an infection and this was one of the symptoms I had written down under that heading.

My weight is actually less than last January (2020) when I had my last review, although I suspect that there's rather a lot more flab and a bit less muscle. We discussed my eating habits and I recognised that if I let mum's niggling and sometimes nasty comments drive me to bingeing on unhealthy snacks I'm only hurting myself. I told her I hoped we could do my mental health review as well and my foot exam sort of morphed into that whilst I was explaining the support bandage and various things mum has said and done in recent weeks.

I said mum was highly critical and I had reached the conclusion that nothing I said or did, nothing about the way I looked or even who I am would ever be right or good enough for her but that I had decided I liked me ( . That I would continue what I needed to do to support mum (whether she recognises that she needs me or not) but would prioritise my own mental health needs. I've recognised the problem, just need to work things through. I had thought about asking to go back to CBT but I think that would be via zoom atm and I can't zoom (will just work through the course booklet I have).

I asked about the chest infection but she wasn't allowed to listen to people's chests (would need to talk to the doctor) so I said I would continue plodding but take account of not being 100 % and take lots of rest breaks. My sugar levels are a bit high so she wants to see me again in 12 weeks and I'll have fresh tests done in about 10 weeks. Altogether a very therapeutic and useful session. Collected paperwork for the tests from the receptionist.

Came out and the bus was at the stop (it's a way off). Had already thought about this earlier and decided not to rush to try to get on it (have had them drive off when I was near enough to touch the bus) but would go in the little cafe. Noticed when we went for the blood tests that it was open (think it's been open all through but was staff only for a while). Bought one of their excellent baked potatoes but also sandwiches, lemon and lime flavoured water (had taken filled 1 l bottle with me) and a few bits as I wanted a picnic.

Sat on a corner bench (semi shade rather than full sun) to eat my baked potato, walked down to the bins to dispose of the rubbish and checked whether the buses were still only one an hour (back to half hourly) so went to the toilet and then back to the bus stop (it was waiting). Still not many using it (a lot less appointments, I suppose) and most had masks. Went to the penultimate stop (Morries) and sat for a while in the sunshine. Wavy bench so put my poorly leg up then crossed the road to one with a back. Read my book for a bit whilst thinking through the logistics of getting to the country park - could use a small trolley to help me walk across the 2 car parks but had a way to go after that to get to the by-pass crossing point and no way of summoning help if I got in difficulties on the park path (think you can no longer get across to the main part of the park, golf course blocking access and nowhere to sit on this part).

So went in the SM. Had a list of 4 items but decided I would also buy 'anything I fancied' (not everything but would buy some suitably celebratory bits and things that went with the salads and things I've already put together- mostly heathy, including strawberries and raspberries as I haven't got a look in with the ones I've bought this year). This was my biggest spend of the day and it was 94 pounds and 64 pence. This included:
*   17.45 food bank donations -  one food bag and a 10.95 girl's school uniform pack. I've noticed several of you on other threads talking about uniform shopping and the profits made by schools and sole suppliers. It's been awhile since I donated (M's have a cage with parcels already bagged up so you can pick something to fit the donation you want to make)
*   2.80  my puzzle book (planned purchase and not from the food budget)
*   12.64 items for mum that she's running out of or might 'want'/ complained about not having after I'd suggested them but didn't add to the order because she wasn't bothered (quiches - will freeze one for her birthday, chips, favourite cheese, cooked meat to go with the salads, scones). She paid me for these
*    ys bargains large bag of < 5 % fat mince for 65p, large pack of good quality sausages, 2 custard tarts (resisted many other cakes) and wholemeal bread buns (will continue to eat oat cakes and multigrain crispbread the rest of the time)
*    drinks for me, 4 large bottles of decaff coke (refuse to buy packs of 8 cans for 4.50, added a 24 pack of diet coke for 7.00). Also bought 4 bottles of non-alcoholic wine (major extravagance but very nice on a hot day).

Got to the till - my list had fallen into the trolley and disappeared mid-shop, checked the list and had forgotten yoghurts for my breakfast but had no energy left to go back to the far side of the store so will boil more eggs at some point and allow myself one bacon barm cake breakfast. Also had to buy a 30p paper bag and then found I'd not used one of the carrier bags I'd taken (actually just remembered there was another bag for life in there as well, buried under the water bottles and the test paperwork). 

Put a pile of 20 pence pieces in the charity box in exchange for 4 paperbacks, put the 2 bags for the foodbank on that cage, went outside - both benches were occupied. Sat on the pile of bags of barbeque wood and phoned the taxi. Got in, had a drink and something from my picnic bag (will have a proper picnic outside later). All shopping put away and now resting on the bed. I may be here for some time.

Grateful for a wonderful appointment (sometimes you don't realise how much you need to let things out), getting rid of stuff, mum agreeing to part with stuff, mum being pleased with the things I bought, nice things to eat, a picnic later, losing weight (I lost weight, I lost weight, yah boo sucks to mum)