Weekly Flylady Thread 6th September 2021

Dizzy_Imp

Lunch break and a quick snooze, I think...

I know my electricity bill is very high and, yes, some of that is due to heat lamps, incubators, three chest freezers and other "business" things, so I might take your advice Kaz and start officially charging some useage to the chickens and goats, but we do have a voltage optimiser installed, LED lighting throughout, no immersion heater connected as we use the oil-- fired boiler and woodburner for hot water (my oil bill can be £300+ per month, even in summer!) and have had the meter checked already,  so I'm wondering if next door are somehow running their place from us, as their house is an old converted barn that was owned by the farm many years ago 

DH did offer to put up a washing line in the barn, (which is through the back garden, across the (often muddy) paddock and filled with hay and straw most of the time) but as the goats wander in and out of there, helping themselves to scoff,  I'm thinking it's not a great idea, as my goats eat knickers, socks and cotton garments...

Anyway, nap time now before Small and Tiny need collecting...

TTFN x

Natty68

Just letting it all out here, sorry

Will read back and reply later when I'm not falling asleep 😔

Afternoon. Odd day for me, woke up happy Natty. Pottered downstairs till Dave got up then started feeling very tired and falling asleep on sofa. Couldn't shake it and I fell asleep twice while watching This Morning. So had my shower and I've popped upstairs to have a wee lay down for a bit to see if I can shake it. Bit concerned it could be a ME/Fibro flare up as I've got pains in my joints like I had before the fibro was diagnosed the other year. I'm also staying away from painkillers as I don't want them to react with my blood pressure tablets.

Got the GP call yesterday, although it was a text. Stay on the dosage of blood pressure tablets I'm on (very low) but I've got to have a liver blood test. Worried as I only had a full blood test a month and half ago and nothing was mentioned about out of the ordinary then. Although thinking about it she did say I would have to have blood tests regularly regarding my mood stabilizers. Apparently I was supposed to be having them but nobody checked. Maybe that is the test and I'll have to have one every 6 weeks now... ugh!!

Once I feel better later I'm going to put mother in law's carpet sweeper together and go over upstairs. It hasn't been used either as it's still in the box, found it in her house while on one of the many clearances.

Also found out yesterday that my niece's 6 month baby is going to be put up for adoption 🙁 They had them both in a mother and baby together after the birth but now my niece has been home and doing weekly contact. Sadly yesterday the social services told her she couldn't have the baby and she is going to be fostered then adopted. Feel so bad for her as I know she'll spirall. (This is my sister's adopted daughter that sadly had to be put into a form of supported housing as she was totally out of control. It broke my sister's heart but it was the best solution)

So I'm now laying on the bed, with the air con on, trying not to think about what needs doing in the house  🙄

Mademoiselle

Dizzy, can you see the rate at which you use electricity on the meter, perhaps by seeing how quickly the numbers go up?  If so you could try turning stuff off to see what is using the most or even turn everything that is yours off perhaps at the switch board and see if the meter still moves.  We also have high electricity as we live in an old farm where the converted outbuildings need to heated to stop them freezing, the main house is ok and has gas CH and wood pellet stoves.  

I've cleaned my bathroom, and mopped the floor too.  Again just a suick mop round, not perfect but so much better. 

Must remember better is good, it doesn't have to be perfect.

kazwookie

Another thought Dizzy, ~ but it does mean an outlay first, but small wind turbine or solar panels are these a possibility, maybe connected to the business buildings

NDN has just bought some green beans around

It's raining

Honey_Bear

Wow, Dizzy.  If that electricity bill doesn't include heating or hot water something sounds very odd indeed.  Fridges are expensive to run but freezers aren't.  It sounds as though someone else is clagged on to your system so I endorse the suggestion that you turn absolutely everything off for a short while and see if the meter's still racking it up.

I've been up in the attic again and pushed, pulled, stacked and tidied various sections.  There is now plenty of space up there I'm pleased to say.  That's a major achievement but it's taken years!

roundtuit

I jinxed myself 🥺. This afternoon was not at all q-word....but that's Friday afternoons for you. At least it went by quickly. Rent and leccy bill paid. Pizza and chips delivery requested. I'm always going to 'not have pizza every weekend' then weekend arrives and I cave. Just one more 😉
DS arrived in Manchester this morning to find the Test Match was cancelled. I was disappointed for him. 
My weekend plans include flying: watch this space. 😇

Have a good evening. 
Rxx

Narc0lepsy

A pretty good day today.  It's exactly 3 weeks plus one hour since I arrived in a panic down to Mum's in response to her pain.
- one load washing done, including Mum's bedlinen
- total blitz on kitchen including wiping/cleaning all appliances (inside microwave; emptied toaster crumbs etc), soaking washing-up drainer, de-scaling round taps, cleaning all surfaces, sweeping and mopping floor.   
- Mum had phone call from GP, he's finally received and read her hospital notes. Reviewed her meds and made appt for her for Monday morning for further review and bp check. Agreed to seek out our travel insurance forms (I took them to surgery yesterday and receptionist said the secretary had to deal with them and she was on hols for 2 weeks plus it would be £15 to get them signed).   In fact he rang back 2hrs later saying he'd signed the forms and I could collect them whenever I liked, and no charge. I could be cynical and say he felt guilty that what he treated over the phone with paracetomol turned out to need major surgery.
- sat Mum on a chair in the bathroom and we went through 75% of her cupboard contents, initially to check how much medication she had in case she needed to order more on Monday - but we thought while we were in there we would give it a blitz. Lots of things chucked out/recycled.   One tupperware box in which she keeps 'stuff' has been put through the DW.   Just half a shelf to do tomorrow, she is really pleased.
- did Zoom lesson with workplace student.
- drove to surgery, collected insurance documents and checked them. Stopped on the way home so mum could walk along the clifftop, we sat and watched lots of kite surfers.
- helped mum write a letter to another specialist to let her know about her op.
- answered a load of emails.
- updated my brother. He is meant to be back from work and taking over nursing/housekeeping duties on Monday. However he messaged me this am to see if it was ok by me if he took work at the vaccination centre next weekend. I said ok but must admit I was looking forward to a clear week at my own home with Mr N.  We'll have to see how Mum is doing by then.    Uni have just asked me for availability to do assessments this term. I've had a chat with manager and said I would let them know next Monday.

Have a good sleep/weekend everyone.

Valli

It's been a week...

mum has let herself in to 'drop stuff off' while I was at work.  Not pleased.

interesting discussion about education.  My 2p worth... in this day and age no one needs to be able to regurgitate facts eg dates.  But have the skills to evaluated the veracity of what they read/are told is, IMO, critical. As is self confidence and the acquisition of life skills.  And while national supermarkets have aisle signs that offer 'confectionary' for sale there is clearly much to be done.  

Other stuff has made me cross too

ionafan

Friday didn't turn out well for us either.  

Late afternoon DH began having short periods of talking gibberish.  He hadn't got a particularly high fever, and I'd been bringing him drinks regularly throughout the day, so he shouldn't have been dehydrated, which is his usual catalyst for confusion, so I rang 999 and am ambulance was sent out.  When they finally arrived, the three (!) paramedics apologised for the delay, saying that their GPS system had sent them along the lane at the back of the house and they'd got lost!  Anyway, they carted him off to the horse piddle.

At times like  that I go into overdrive - but absolutely calmly - so I emptied the linen baskets, stripped his bed and started the first of WMx3, then cleaned the ensuite very thoroughly.   My stress shows up more in my eating pattern: today I have eaten all the wrong things, including doughnuts   Eventually I sat down and fell asleep in front of the tv, so I have only just come up to bed and am slowly winding down again.  Rosie is being very good but is clearly upset by all the fuss.

However, in between running up and down stairs to check on DH and grab another doughnut, I had managed to make 3 long phone calls, complete my own current account switch application, and fill in the hardest bits of the church account application form.  Tomorrow (= today) I must write a covering letter and mark up where other people have to sign.

Let's hope for a calmer weekend.... xx

Valli

Morning all
Hoping Mr Iona is ok

I'm still a bit cross.   A decision someone else made is now impacting on others.

anyway lots to do later.