NST May MISCHIEF AND MAYHEM

pollyanna_26

beanielou said:

Where's the poor health thread please? 

It's on the OS forum Beanie

pollyx

ditty1234

Today I am grateful that ds1 finally got a start day for his job, pretty much 10 month after he got ill, what a long jorney it has been. And it only just beginning. So we had a little burger and beer celebration this evening. And grateful for lovely colleagues this week, for various reasons it has been a frazzled and disjoint one. 

mothernerd

pollyanna_26 said:

beanielou said:

Where's the poor health thread please? 

It's on the OS forum Beanie

pollyx

Old Style Ways and Poor Health part 2. - Page 33 — MoneySavingExpert Forum
this is it.

mothernerd

Very busy day. Decided it was frog Friday and alternated progress on my room (mainly walking around putting things in drawers) and resting with paperwork. Set up my music before I started, to keep me going. have done 2 letters asking to have mum's details  taken off mailing/ supporter/ member lists and am part way through a long letter to tv licencing explaining why I do not need a licence (very annoyed as I already told them when I sent back the rebate application for mum's licence.

I have a couple of pages of all the tedious bits I've done. I ow have the modem, the instructions for returning it and the bag to put it in, all in one place but unfortunately not the sticky address label to put on it. had a friendly chat with DS3 along the lines of 'we need to find a way of you getting your own place', also suggested the 'home office' ie putting DS3 and all his junk in the back yard. He has just got the first bonus on his 'poor people savings account' (govt. will give him 50% if he continues for another two years).

Gave them 8 tins of soup to restock the ones they've used (this week?) and will take a similar number of assorted beans + some fruit down for myself. Looked at my aida cross-stitch fabric and it hurt my eyes just to look so 5 pieces into the bag for a charity shop and another 4 from downstairs. Keeping 3 large (baby quilt/ shawl size pieces) and have ordered a small stash of soluble canvas to make working on it as easy as possible. Decided I will make myself the Dr Who chibis one and darling d-i-l can have it when she persuades DS1 to have a baby or when I'm dead. One piece of aida kept - it had a scrap of paper attached with it's dimensions and saying it was 14 hpi (holes per inch). Still made me a bit cross eyed but it compared favourably with the other (16 and 18 hpi) pieces so going to try out a project on it.

10 books taken to the cs and asked about customers who are crafters - they'd not had anyone ask for a while (I know I've picked up expensive craft mags there for 50p in the past) but was keen to take it. More 50p sandwiches acquired and some small notebooks (at least 2 thick A5 notebooks will be being binned this weekend, the replacements are A6 and slim -useful for lists I want to carry around in my handbag). Tomorrow won't be an NSD either as one of the cs had a duplo farm set and at a £, it's worth losing an NSD for (they also had a pair of gorgeous duck egg blue curtains and a few other gems). Checked out wallpaper in another shop - trying to work out how to emulate a very expensive idea. Should try to sort out the printer and buy the inks required tomorrow as well - I have lots of free patterns on the laptop (easier to work from a paper copy than the screen) and should save me lots more than the cost of the inks. Making not buying and crafting is good for my soul.

Got home about 5 pm (paused outside to pull up the weeds along the window wall) and my niece phoned soon after. She was seeing her bf off to work and would call round to see me once his bus arrived. Set off for the corner shop to buy caffeinated drinks (will affect my sleep pattern but couldn't get to the shops which have the caffeine free) and got another phone call - DS2 updating me on the situation with the boys' dad. Apparently he didn't want me to go and see him in his current condition but has now decided it would be okay if I visited or phoned to talk to him (it may be the last chance). DS1 and darling d-i-l are boxing his stuff up tomorrow - if he gets out of hospital he will need to go into assisted living of some sort. DS2 and his Beloved are visiting tonight and will pick up a couple of boxes whenever they can and then transport them to DS1's separately - they can get to North Wales in 1hr 10 mins but it takes half an hour to get across Manchester to DS1's. Mummy to be can no longer lift heavy boxes and gets tired after half a day.

Niece came round, lots of gentle chat and swapping ideas (she's agreed to host a Eurovision party and is now panic ridden about where people will sleep). Gave her a key to mum's so she can move some things herself (when bf is available to help). She's driven her car 2 days on the run but can still struggle - a stupid driver gave her a big fright soon after she'd learnt to drive and she's been nervous ever since. Her other grandma is still in hospital but I've suggested her mum and I can move some smaller pieces of furniture in her car. 

Gave her a tour of what I've done in the garden and told her what to do with her ivy - it's gone 'woody'.  Showed her in my garden - new very green leaves where I've chopped it back and then on the street ivy where it's been allowed to grow unrestrained and is dead, dry and brown in the middle. Then she went home, 9pm and I'd not eaten. tired so may leave 'work' until tomorrow, will finish my book.

Grateful for good conversation with niece and 2 of my sons, finding ideas, letting another bit of embroidery go, finding bargain soluble canvas (bought all 7 remaining pieces for the price of 2 in the first place I looked), ideas and options and just gently plodding.      

Thrifty_Taylor

Sorry I've been AWOL a couple of days, RL has been crazy busy!

Wednesday went well, stayed late at work chatting with a colleague who's struggling at the moment. Collected DS2 off the boat from his residential trip, quickly shortened 3 pairs of trousers after tea, then we all watched a film together & nibbled leftover chocolate from sproutmas.

Thursday I had a brilliant day at work, stayed half an hour late afterwards to work on a jigsaw. Shortened the sleeves of a top for a customer after an early tea, headed to town, popped in for half an hour to a good friend/colleague who's recently had a bereavement, then visited my l friend who I went to school with. There was just the two of us in our class (small island school), she now lives in Australia, but is back for 2 weeks. It's 3 years since we were last together, so had lots of catching up to do!

Today at work has been a bit & miss. Went to town after school, dropped sewing off, bumped into a colleague who's been off for a while supporting her son, then took mum shopping, dropped her home, stopped off at a customer's house on the way home to discuss sewing needs, then had an easy night, crocheting & watching TV.

Grateful for seeing friends, DS2 having a great time away & being back home safely again, the good times at work, laughter, my warm cosy bed (I'm exhausted!) & last but not least, that it's the weekend!!

Deni_debt-free_dreamer

Evening

Was up early to be in work for 8, had organised an induction event which went well.  Had a quick walk at lunch time and bought a laura ashlee skirt for £3 in the CS.  Got home from work in time for a quick sandwich then went to my book group.  Had a lovely chat for 3 hours - 30 minutes of which was on the book
Gratitudes - working with great colleagues who all pulled together for our event; refreshing my summer wardrobe for £3; lovely bookish friends

love Deni x

ditty1234

Morning Turtles, bring on the weekend there is a lot to be done, and I have a new front door bringing in the light. Thanks to my lovely landlord. I have even given up parkrun to get the timings right, so will go out for a run later.
Have a lovely weekend everybody.

cuddlymarm

Good morning Turtles
Hopefully today will be a NSD as I’m working all day so should have no chance to go anywhere to spend but I’ll add it to my total later.
More people leaving at work putting more pressure on the rest of us. I was hoping this would see me through to retirement but I’m going to have to think seriously about it I think.
Anyway enough of that, today I’m grateful for a good nights sleep, OH organising todays tea and the sun outside, I may not get to spend any time outside in it but some days just seeing it is enough.
TTFN

mothernerd

Saturday 14th May 2022

Wild Weekend
-   Coffee with friends (fictional characters and pets count)
-   Another episode, why not?
-   Experimenting with snack food (for science)
-   Bold adventures in pyjamas fashion
(Nanea Hoffman)

Have a beautiful Weekend
May your home be filled with beautiful people.
Your mind with beautiful thoughts
Your heart with beautiful intentions,
And your life with an abundance of beautiful blessings
*HOPE* *PEACE* *LOVE*
Today and always

 More Things To Celebrate (we missed a few so feel free to add them to your rainy days and holidays ideas list)
13th  Leprechaun Day, Frog Jumping Day
14th  Dance Like a Chicken Day
16th  Love a Tree day, Wear Purple for peace Day
17th  Pretend You're an Animal Day
18th  Visit Your Relatives Day
21st  Talk Like Yoda Day
22nd Sherlock Holmes Day
23rd  World Turtle Day
25th Cookie Monster's Birthday
It's also National (USA?) Salad month, Bike Month, Photograph month, National Get Caught Reading Month

D Debt or Savings First - live on what's left
I've read through a few articles and decided I don't have the right to lecture you on budgeting.
I'm not going to become more self-sufficient by hunting down meat for my freezer and learning to butcher it myself. 
I'm currently overwhelmed with all the stuff I'm trying to juggle (including potential/ possibly imminent deaths that will affect my sons and my nieces) so I'm not going to start making my own laundry gloop, candles or even bread any time soon.
Lots of us some or most of these things (especially old stylers) but each of us makes our own choices about what is possible within our (finite) resources (time, energy, money, physical health, situation) eg it may make sense to pay for a cleaner or gardener if you're earning 4 times what you will pay them, particularly if you have the chance of extra hours. I've never been a high earner but I have quit one of my multiple jobs when paying tax and N.I. meant that I could save more by using those hours to prepare a whole week of hm ready meals and get to spend extra time with my sons as a bonus.

*   However when I was saving to buy my house one wage did two weeks and the other was saved. Even when I was out of work my one evening a week washing glasses brought in £5 - £4 went into savings and the remaining pound bought me 2 evenings out (3 X lemonade @ 16p = 48p, 3 x 1/2 pint shandy @17p = 51p).
*   I average one holiday every 10 years (usually with help from someone else).
*   I've worked 70 hour weeks and had multiple jobs at once
*   I've not been near a dentist in years
One person's essentials is another's dream.
Any turtle top tips for how you allocate your resources?
Hope all that makes sense - it's just bits from the conversation yesterday with DS3 and my niece, mainly on house prices and getting on the property ladder (plus niece trying to be a perfect hostess by baking bread for her guests even though it meant staying up until 3 am and she could have gone home via sainsbugs and picked up a posh loaf ys'd to 10p).

End quote
Auntie Acid's Winter Tips no 2
Want to know how to cut your heating bills in two? 
Invest in a good quality pair of scissors like I have - problem solved.
(I know it's not very funny, there weren't many other options - out govt. has gone beyond parody).
 

firsview

Afternoon Turtles. Sorry for being AWOL for a couple of days, but DS1 dropped the bombshell he is coming back and bringing the girl he is staying with in Canada with him. They have to apply for a visa first so it wont be for another 6 months but I am not sure how I feel about it. We all haven’t recovered from his last MH crisis yet, but I think his physical health isn’t brilliant atm so probably best for him to be here to access some healthcare.
I am glad you enjoyed your holiday @tonisfriend, we go at the beginning of July and I am really looking forward to it. As I am self employed I tend to only take a couple of weeks a year rather than the 6 weeks I was used to as a Civil Servant so any time I do have off is more special.
Small spend today on an ice cream each whilst having a long walk along the seafront.
Today I am grateful for some lovely weather, DS2 making it through his first week at work and fitting in my jeans again!