NST July 2022: A Turtle Triathlon

abundant1972

Good morning 🌞🌻

I will definitely take my next few days off to have a rest and reflection on the resident chaise-lounge Apple! Thank you! Loving the idea of 'being my own best friend' f0xh0les so will try and get of of my head and see what I come up with. Thank you! I did a colouring grid once before Thrifty and it is satisfying to see the chart getting filled in! I think I will re-do mine [I may need a bigger grid haha] today. Thank you! I will scour the internet for some getting out of debt podcasts idee2111 - and you're right... it helps to saturate your mindset and fire up the old enthusiasm again. Thank you so much to everyone for your support and well wishes - it means so much. And today is a new day - you are all right x

Congratulations grandmanerd on your new grand-daughter. She is very lucky to have such a wise-savvy and loving grandma to watch over her. Big hugs. 

Today I am grateful for:

1) A new day and a fresh start
2) Everybody's kindness and support on here. Sending you all a big hug 
3) A few days off with some lovely weather 🌞🌳🌷🌼🌻

Today will be a spend day as am out with Dad

Have a great Sunday everyone 😘

grandmanerd

f0xh0les said:

Do they have a name yet @grandmanerd ?   Shall we suggest some?

They do have a name -2 names, but I was given strict instructions not to share on social media so I'm trying to keep to that rule all the time. Early on we did discuss turtle names. I told one of mine and mum's oldest friends about the baby and she was telling me about DS2 (as a very serious 2- 3 yo) telling her all about the turtles. We knew the baby was going to be a girl so we tried 'feminised' versions of the turtle names but we stopped when I said that Donatella was very pretty but that people would assume she was named after Donatella Versace (who'd wish that on a baby).

Be careful with your 'down on your knees' scrubbing f0xh0les, I did that for years including between the rows of pews at my local church (cleaning then lovingly rubbing in lavender floor polish from a big tin) and look where it got me (poor, poor knees - I really have overworked my body).

I'm having a day of being grateful for 'having enough' aka rooting out stuff to go to the food bank and cs. DS3 and I both ordered toilet rolls and then I found the huge packet in the front room was their 'back up' supply (6 dozen?) so I've decided the 24 pack I brought and the 5 who gives a c*** ones can go to the food bank (DS3's latest order hasn't landed yet so maybe another gross coming). I have enough soap (I always unwrap it to go hard as it lasts longer but don't know if the food bank can accept unwrapped soap) but I also had a pump dispenser one and several of the eco refills (bought at the behest of mum's cleaner) so they're being donated and a couple of other items including some kids sun cream (sorry apple I thought I had some but couldn't find it in the drawers so bought a new pack - I had used up lots of odds and ends but there were some hidden in the thing on the bathroom door, once I'd cleared out the excess (not touching the 96 different products Beloved uses on her lustrous locks).

I emptied the kitchen stool which holds the toilet rolls (well 18 of them) and cleaned it (housekeeping hint - do not buy furniture made from wooden slats) out and have now refilled it after it had dried. It belongs to those 2, it was the first flatpack item they put together by themselves and they're very proud of it. I never told them I'd just got the bathroom how I wanted it, bare and basic. I also picked up floor litter, used bits of toilet paper to scrape together the 'dust' and then used a cloth to do that part of the floor. Pulled out the kitchen chair that doesn't belong in there. It's staying on the landing until I sort out the books on the shelf behind the door (to make room for the toilet rolls) and the first one to complain that it's in the way gets the privilege of returning it to the kitchen.

The 'clean' jobs I found to do yesterday included moving all my cans and bottles into the kitchen (hope that toilet roll order doesn't include them restocking their drinks as there's nowhere for it to go) and emptying all the remaining bags on the floor. Some were empty, some only had a few bits in - mainly pots and recycling that I've brought down (and in some cases the pots and cutlery had been washed, just the recycling to rinse) and some stuff from mum's that I have no idea where it can go. The little drawers full of screws and other bits doesn't belong on the windowsill (it should live under the stairs but that's not fully accessible yet) but it's off the floor and  easier for me to look if I need any anything.

I've spent part of the week working on cutting the washing up mountain down to size and getting the triffid tomatoes outside freed up the windowsill as well as letting in lots more light. Now I should have room to wheel the little trolleys back and forth across the kitchen which should make life easier. I need a usable kitchen (without spending any more money for now), clear space for working and being able to find my stuff when I need it.

I intend going through all the canned and dry goods and donating as much as possible - I'll keep things the food bank doesn't need (beans, soup and pasta), any dented or rusty cans (it's only tiny bits on the edge) and anything ood. I might regret this because I will use it eventually and may need it and not have money to replace it but atm I need the space more, some was bought for mum with her money (I just can't bear to throw good items out) so I'm not 'losing' anything. This will go hand in hand with a proper food audit (having a mid month reset) and meal plan.

I will also be donating clothes (also needs an audit), a purse (found mine, was beginning to think I'd lost it, this one is unused bought it for myself with present money several years ago), pencils (and maybe some of the coloured pens I binged on a few weeks ago), odd 'medical' items (innersoles, micropore tape - bought a multi pack when I was using lots on mum) and a few 'entertainment' things to help food bank parents over the long summer holiday (mags, colouring books, perhaps some of the s/h books I've acquired). More books can go and everything left will be condensed. 

Okay I'm rested and dry, time to start slapping on the medicinal creams and on with the next chunk. Paper, rubbish and can bags are nearly full so rummage around for more to fill them and move some cans downstairs.


Grateful for enough, my beautiful grand-daughter (she has dark hair but lighter than mine, DS1's or her mother's was at birth).

apple_muncher

Mothernerd, suncreams counts as medicinal in this weather 😎

pollyanna_26

I always unwrap soap too MN as my mum always did. I used to pick things up from TKs over the years. Pringle socks and other things much cheaper than in other shops. They sold beautiful wrapped soaps far below normal prices. Many from France and other countries. Years on the scent remains.  put one each shelf of the two ceiling height cupboards with double safety glass doorsI  bought from the Blue and Yellow store years ago along with al sorts of other things after finally cashing in the never spent a £2 coin since they were introduced saving. All those coin bags horrified the cashier who had to weigh and add up the total.

Everything I bought is still in use now.

My knitwear , throws and patchwork quilts live on one of the five shelves of one ccupboard and soaps anong them still smell as they did when I first started buying them. As soon as I open the doors it's a real aromatherapy hit and very calming.

There is one I bought a few of which is still wrapped. Lavender with a lovely wrapper and pretty lilac ribbons  That's on the bedside table and sometimes a snid sometimes a sniff will bring sleep.

I'll know where to head if there's a loo roll shortage. I used to seem to be constantly buying big packs when there was 4 offspring here . Still buy the big packs as our local Coop often have  them on very good offers.

I've been wondering if you ever wear gloves for cleaning and working in the yard. Perhaps you're unable to. I've always worn gardening gloves. At the very beginning of the pandemic I did a quick whizz round wilko just over the road from the town pharmacy who dispencse youngests meds. Did it on impulse without a list and looked carefully at every shelf filling a trolley with all the things I used to buy there and really stocking up. I'd never bought gardening gloves there but they had packs of three in different colours. I usually bought more expensive gloves and these were very inexpensive. I used a pair cutting back trees and shrubs and the gloves were more flexible than those I used to buy. That pair are still fine and the other two pairs in the garage until I need them.

Try to take it easy today the temperature has begun to soar so ossibly the same or higher over your way.

Perhaps the master of ceremonies telling the visiting fans Manchester is always hot and sunny this time of years has had an effect!

Take care all you turtles. I was picking fruit, veg and herbs very early this morning  planning a day of batch cooking for the big chest freezer. Was quite bearable out there earlier but now although I did the open all the curtains and windows, let the  cooler air come in then close windows and curtains it getting hot inside again.

Kitchen is usually the coolest room in the house but not now. Lots of batch cooking and baking doesn't seem such a good idea now but temperatue is forecast higher tomorrow.

Time to copy beanielou and keep plodding. I envy sun lovers at these times I have the wrong genes. Survived the infamous summer of 76 but was so much younger then.

Lovely to see good news for some of the posters here long may it last.

Laptop doesn't like the heat and has been splitting paragraphs today so apologies in advance. Time to shut it down for a while.

pollyx

f0xh0les

I wasn't trying to 'out' you @mothernerd ,   I am just on a mission to get more Ophelias and Persephones  into the North West.

f0xh0les

Oh, and if you are a redhead, on Monday and Tuesday Sh0wcase Cinemas are giving you free tickets as we can't cope with the heat. https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/16/redheads-can-get-free-cinema-tickets-to-escape-the-heatwave-17010850/

ldee2111

f0xh0les said:

Oh, and if you are a redhead, on Monday and Tuesday Sh0wcase Cinemas are giving you free tickets as we can't cope with the heat. https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/16/redheads-can-get-free-cinema-tickets-to-escape-the-heatwave-17010850/

I’d have taken up the offer had I not been at the caravan - factor 50 on!

pollyanna_26

f0xh0les said:

Oh, and if you are a redhead, on Monday and Tuesday Sh0wcase Cinemas are giving you free tickets as we can't cope with the heat. https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/16/redheads-can-get-free-cinema-tickets-to-escape-the-heatwave-17010850/

I wouldn't leave the house atm for a free cinema ticket even if David Tennant was sitting in the seat next to me. One blonde two strawberry blondes and two redheads we know our limits.

In the primary school I was teaching in we began to get a number of pupils with less ccommon names in the late 80s onwards.

Don't recall a Persaphone but there were a number with less common names and some that seemed invented by family with dodgy spelling.

There were four girls with the same name as my youngest in middle infants. One ended with a Y rather than IE but it got rather confusing when the teacher in the next bay to mine would call one of them and all 4 would respond at the same time.

They were split in to pairs for top infants. Showing my age here do reception class, middle infants and top infants still exist?

pollyx

greent

It's Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 in infants now, polly (England) with Juniors being Years 4 -6. Secondary is then Y7-11 with VIth form being Y12 (LVI) and Y13 (UVI)

f0xh0les

pollyanna_26 said:

f0xh0les said:

Oh, and if you are a redhead, on Monday and Tuesday Sh0wcase Cinemas are giving you free tickets as we can't cope with the heat. https://metro.co.uk/2022/07/16/redheads-can-get-free-cinema-tickets-to-escape-the-heatwave-17010850/

There were four girls with the same name as my youngest in middle infants. One ended with a Y rather than IE but it got rather confusing when the teacher in the next bay to mine would call one of them and all 4 would respond at the same time.

We had 6 Michelles and 8 Clares  just in my year - it could get rather confusing with the Clares, but the Michelles ended up as Michelle, Mike, Mickey, Shelley, Misha, and Mick.   Not sure what their parents called them though.....