NST April 2022: April opportunities

firsview

Evening Turtles. Sorry, forgot to post yesterday. I do have an excuse though, DS2 got the job he went for an interview for last week. I was so gobsmacked I walked around for the rest of the evening with my mouth open! Now I don’t want you to think I am selling him short but DD had gone for the same job 3 years ago and didn’t get it. She is loaded with GCSE’s ,A levels, degree etc and he barely scraped through his GCSEs. I suppose qualifications weren’t what they were looking for!
NSD yesterday and today and I think that will be it for the month as I have umpteen things I need to buy and a holiday balance to pay for. Will be better off next month as DS2 will start paying rent, yay!
Today I am grateful for 2 of my children being gainfully employed, a walk along the seafront where France was so clear I could see every boat between us and a visit to my lovely old Dad.

greent

@firsview - congrats to DS2! 🥳🙌

apple_muncher

Congratulations to dd2, firsview. And yay indeed to you getting rent money!

Today I am grateful for a day off work, for a good f+v box from liddle, for dc doing ok in the day, for dh doing this evening's pick up, for dh taking some stuff to the tip and creating a little more space.

mothernerd

Busy day. Out early to attack the weed trees, then back upstairs with cheese, pickled onions and apples. Went down again to put lunch in, finished painting the metal shelves and did a lot of the wooden shelves whilst it cooked. Back outside, took  the ripped polytunnel cover to put over a row of 3 bins to make a painting station. Cut down 6 of the minor offshoots of the weed trees (1" - 1.5") and cut deeper into the two biggest (more room to manoeuvre with the pruning saw). Threw the bit of shed into next door's yard to supress the nettles (had already tossed all the broke gate pieces on earlier) then back to painting.

Polytunnel cover must have caught the paint tin and it was nearly all in a puddle on the floor. Used a large piece of  a broken tray to scoop it up and put it in a mushroom box and some back in the can. Used what was left on the floor to paint the back and underside of the cabinet (won't be seen but will be protected from the weather). Proceeded to paint 16 boards of various sizes, finishing with the 2 small drawers to the cabinet and lying the cabinet on its back to get at hard to reach bits. Much more painting than planned, nearly cried at one point.

Used rainwater to rub and peel as much paint off as possible before going inside, stripping off my paint covered dress and wellies and having a sit down shower. Had takeaway tea (could barely stand up by this point). Had intended to do a litter pick but just used various creams on dry bits, bruises and scratches (plus a plaster for the thorn/splinter and the slice of missing fingernail) and got into my clean nightie. DS3 is in charge of rounding up rubbish and putting the bins out (ours and number 2's which I've been using for all the common refuse from the backs.

Grateful for having finished with painting for now (did check that the paint is still available - called seagrass but actually a pale turquoise), for takeaway (had to talk myself into making lunch), for arnica, antiseptic cream and lovely bergamot and ginger hand cream, for having finished the rather disappointing book I've been reading (persevered but won't be reading any more of those - strangely wooden and lacking empathy, one character was obviously on the autism spectrum but not identified as such, written in 2000 so maybe not understood back then), for starting a much more promising book.

Thrifty_Taylor

Well done @firsview jr! 🎉
Take things easy @mothernerd, you've had a very busy day!

Felt better again today, so completed online exercises before breakfast. Sold another coin, so got it ready for posting whilst eating. Work went well, persuaded pupil to do some writing - after watching me write 3 columns of his numerical answers, when it was his turn, he'd watched how I wrote a number 4 & had a go, exclaiming it was so much easier that way! Felt a sense of achievement ☺️
Absolutely shattered at the end of the day, so had a nap when I got home. Catching up on emails from another group, I'm WAY behind! After tea, I sewed a chicken, then had a soak in the bath. DH had bought a couple of bits from the shop, so not claiming it as a NSD. The customer who is made the memory bears for last week, would now like another 3 making 😃

Grateful for pupil learning by example, a good nap, DS2 feeling less stressed today

ldee2111

Update from yesterday - had tech problems and couldn’t  post

Well done to your son, firstview!

I was working in the office today and it was fine, but very glad to still be mostly WfH. I prefer not having to do the daily commute, not having to make small talk, and not having to look presentable. 

Staying on NSD 10 as I met with a friend at lunchtime and bought us both lunch. I hadn’t seen her in 3 years and it was so so lovely to catch up. We gave each other the biggest squeeziest cuddle. It really lifted me and I think her too. 

Grateful today for seeing my friend, for a quick video call with OH, and for Mum picking me up from the train station.

Shrewbie

Congrats to ds2 firsview!! 

Thrifty for some reason “commissioned knitted chicken” tickled me so cheers for that haha 

Meditation done this morning, made granola and did a load of washing. Two pairs of boots I had ordered online arrived yest. Ankle boots and knee highs. Only the ankle ones fitted so the others will be returned. 
another three packages to arrive throughout the week. Sorry carbon footprint 

grateful for listening to the storm outside while I was cosy in the flat, for finding out there is the possibility of a work bonus, for rain so I can test my new boots. 

mothernerd

Out early again (left my handbag downstairs last night - only brought up drink and my book and asked DS3 if he would bring my food up when it arrived). Gathered up loads of stuff from the front room floor (will be having words later), their takeaway containers from the kitchen plus spice sachet from noodles and other bits. Didn't do my outside litter pick because the bins were full with the two small carrier bags I'd gathered (one was mine from upstairs) and a thicker bag I'd been using in the kitchen and added the broken bits of the tray.

Moved the newly painted shelves into their positions (may change later but they are in the corner near the house where everything has been cleaned out). Added the herb plants in their pots and used lower shelves for seed trays and lids and the white metal buckets (I have plans). The huge trolley is nearly empty - time for another ivy cutting session maybe (no room in the bins but room in mum's bin).

Spent money last night as I bought some things I've been looking at for the past 2-3 weeks (remembered how to do my history and tracked down the yellow elephant patterned rompers, hat and bib combo I'd been trying to get back to). Tried to buy washing line posts and post mix concrete but not sure it went through - first site didn't deliver them (didn't fancy my chances getting 2 x 3m posts home 8 miles on the bus), the second I tried had the posts but not the mix, third had the posts and the mix but a peculiar payment system - tried to make me go via paypal (who sent me a password redirect, then encountered a fault). May go back the first site and get express delivery (or maybe find/ buy a new spike for my rotary dryer, dig a big hole - gulp and re-install that). Lino payment stalled as well.

Thinking I may work out all the bits I need to cobble together a fence screen/ gate plus paint and get everything online so I can do it at weekend. Need to go back to mum's to bring the bin in so may go to Morries and check out ys f & v and plant based meals. I'm going to lose an NSD anyway, so might as well order the lot (didn't do a food order last week so will need some things). I also have my first one to one CBT session but they've sent me a text which is supposed to have a link and it doesn't. the penny finally dropped that my sore eyes and nose were down to hay fever so started my pills. I always forget how depressed it makes me feel (so how do I sort out what is down to that and how much down to life).

Always look on the bright side of life do doo, do doo di do doo.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for dc finishing their exams, for hm flapjack and strong coffee, for a friend dropping some clothes round for us, for dh prepping tea, for a possibl trip to Guernsey later this year...

DawnW

No NSD today (went food shopping) or yesterday, but I am now up to 14

Managed to get a £1.50 veg box in Lidl - not as nice as the one I got a couple of weeks ago, but still good value, haven't needed to throw any of it away. There was a bag of parsnips, a bunch of beetroot, a bag of mint, an aubergine, a bag of peppers, a small cabbage, lettuce and a punnet of peaches - the out of season sort which will probably never ripen, but I will make something with them. I will enjoy researching recipes to use it all up.

Made a cauliflower, potato and egg curry (recipe from the BBC Good Food web site) for dinner, which was yummy, and there is enough for another meal for OH and I. I had all the ingredients except for coriander, but I subbed parsley, of which I have a big clump in the garden.

Got a load of washing dry outside, as it has been a (cold) windy day. Covered up the emerging potato plants with fleece as apparently there is the possibility of a frost over the next couple of nights. It is very dry, and we could do with some rain.

Grateful today for dry washing, yummy online recipes, and a naughty scone with jam and cream with afternoon tea.