Crazy Cat Lady Chapter 5 - Trying to recover from the pandemic

f0xh0les

My breakdown cover covers me in any car I am driving or being a passenger in, so that might be worth looking into  CCL

crazy_cat_lady

Evening all.
So the weirdest thing happened last night. I was so tired I decided to get into bed just before 9 then I figured if I fell asleep watching telly then at least I was in the right place. Checked the time at 9.07pm then the next thing I remember is ds coming in to talk to me and ask if everything was ok as the stair light was on. It was 1am and as I wasn't the last one to bed nobody had switched it off. Went back to sleep then got up at 4am for the loo and to feed NT1 who eats little and often these days. Then the next thing I knew it was half past seven. I actually can't believe I got so much sleep - and I actually felt pretty good for it once my head cleared and I'd had a cup of tea.
I am feeling all accomplished and manly today. I got dd's car going, all by myself. And then I drove it for 15 miles in the hope that it will stay charged, and I have a new aim to drive it at least every other day now instead of going for the luxury and comfort of my own car. My dad still turned up to try and help me, even though I'd done the 15 miles and parked it on the drive again by the time that he got to the house.
I'm a bit more worried now I've actually seen my dad face to face. He is very wobbly on his legs. He says that they feel quite numb below his knees, and insists they are getting better. I want him to speak to 111 or phone his doctor but he wants to 'wait and see'. I will determine the length of the wait I think - I'll do it myself if he's not looking decidedly better in a few days. He has a lot of stupid male pride but he is almost 70 so not the youthful so and so he thinks he is.
Got my food prep done. Made my ham and pease pud soup which, as correctly predicted by me, ds said looked and smelled awful. It's yummy. Also prepped a massive tupperware of coleslaw because dd loves it and was repeatedly requesting it. Keeps a few days and quite handy to go on sandwiches or jacket spuds as well. Have home made burgers in the fridge and that will do for the short term.
Other than that I've done very little today - relaxed and finally finished the last of the squares for the granny blanket. I'm busy sewing them together now and then just the border to go. Fingers crossed. Then I'm going to start tackling other started-but-not-finished crochet projects. I have more than I care to admit.
 

crazy_cat_lady

Tiredbutdetermined said:

I am utterly exhausted already too

I am so worried about exams too. I don’t know if I am more worried by the snippets they are saying or the things they aren’t saying. I got myself emotional chatting to y11 and they were touched I care about them so much. I really do but it was also he fear of losing the exam marking contracts again! 

I really need the exams to run this year. I hope they will but the Head at our place thinks they won't. He needs to be wrong for once.

crazy_cat_lady

Honeysucklelou2 said:

Give me younger ones to teach any day...it’s the secondary that bring me out in a cold sweat 😊.

Do you have breakdown cover CCL? My cover includes from home so they have come out and jump started the battery before now.

We don't have it yet. But I will get it with the insurance when I get round to sorting that. 

f0xh0les

Autoaid is the cheapest for me - comes up tops for the last 4 or 5 years on Martin's email it covers the driver not the car,  it also covers your spouse for £0, which is annoying, as dd cannot be your spouse

beanielou

Good call to get your dads health checked out.
Yah to the car 

greent

crazy_cat_lady said:

Tiredbutdetermined said:

I am utterly exhausted already too

I am so worried about exams too. I don’t know if I am more worried by the snippets they are saying or the things they aren’t saying. I got myself emotional chatting to y11 and they were touched I care about them so much. I really do but it was also he fear of losing the exam marking contracts again! 

I really need the exams to run this year. I hope they will but the Head at our place thinks they won't. He needs to be wrong for once.

We're quite convinced at our school that they will run - as is the school that my DS2 goes to, who are not bothering to do anything about the possibility of TAGS at all (whereas we are - so we're in effect doing both systems - as an EO that's source the work for me....)

badmemory

Re your dad - has he cut his heating down because of the price increases do you think?  I've found when I go to friends that the cold creeps up my legs to just above my knees, no further, but it makes the foot ankle & knee joints feel that they have been turned to concrete.  I know how fortunate I am that even though my income is low my savings are not & I was able to make the decision that my savings could & would take the hit, not everyone is in that position.  Under 65 most people would not even think about the difference being cold can make to your mobility.

crazy_cat_lady

badmemory said:

Re your dad - has he cut his heating down because of the price increases do you think?  I've found when I go to friends that the cold creeps up my legs to just above my knees, no further, but it makes the foot ankle & knee joints feel that they have been turned to concrete.  I know how fortunate I am that even though my income is low my savings are not & I was able to make the decision that my savings could & would take the hit, not everyone is in that position.  Under 65 most people would not even think about the difference being cold can make to your mobility.

Thank you so much for this advice badmemory. You have no idea how much it means to me... my dd (who is a size 4 soaked through) first suggested that it could be the cold and told me she has a similar thing when she gets really cold. My dad was diagnosed with chronic hypothermia a couple of years ago and he's quite underweight as well so he's always cold no matter how much heating he uses - although I know he's not keen switching it on. I have bought him gifts of warm things and made him blankets and he often sits at home with his own-brand oodie on and a couple of blankets, but I had wondered if his legs and feet were warm enough and so ordered and sent him a couple of pairs of long johns during the week in the hope that they might help a bit. I spoke to him this morning and he said he was feeling a lot better. Wonder if I should look for some thermal socks for him as well. 
You have really helped put my mind at rest a bit. Thank you

crazy_cat_lady

Today is my baby sister's 38th birthday. This makes me feel quite old. I love her all the world, and don't see her as often as I would like - she's still recovering from Covid and not well enough for me to visit at the moment but I did drop her a card and present off earlier. We're all getting together next weekend at my mam's (Covid permitting) for the catch up that we should have had over Christmas.
I have spent most of today crocheting, and am pleased to report that I have finally finished the 5-years-in-the-making blanket apart from sewing the ends of the border in. My mam thinks I should try and sell some of my handmade blankets - it appears that people are prepared to pay in the range of £70 - £200 for a blanket the size I tend to make. I wish I had the nerve to put some of them up for sale - I have quite a few blankets taking up space in my cupboard without all of the ones that I actually use. I genuinely wouldn't know where to start though.
There isn't a lot else to report, apart from dd's car starting first time this morning. I let her drive us to my mam's - she's sorely lacking in confidence. I see so much of myself in her in terms of lacking confidence and only seeing the negatives, but I can easily see how wrong she is about herself - just can't extend that compassion to myself. I have a triage appointment with the mental health team next week. Probably the next rung up the waiting list, but at least I'm doing something.
Another day without spends so I'm pleased, and I have packed up breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. Fingers crossed I can remember to take them with me.