NST August 2022: Lights, Camera, Action!

ditty1234

Today I'm grateful for a lovely lake swim, for being the only one back at work, and for the lovely cool weather. 

apple_muncher

Thank you for offering to run September, grandmanerd. Strangely, I think of abundant's challenge as a pirate ship!!!

Today I am grateful for sleeping well, for working out how the heating works (damp and chilly Airbnb place, grrr), for simple living when away, for time with my niece, for a video call with dh as he wasn't well enough to come away with us.

wishus

Good morning, Turtles!

@firsview I'm the same as you. Hate the heat, hate maggots. Bit rubbish when lots of your family like to fish for carp, but there we go. I freeze all the leftover meat my cat leaves in a little tub until the day the bin men come for the food bins to avoid this problem. Your poor client if the agency staff are just thoughtlessly leaving them with that in the kitchen. You are a hero!

Not been feeling great this week. I took a day off the day job last week to work the festival and my colleagues did some cover, for which I am grateful, but I am still playing catch up on requests, marking practice work, problem solving etc and can feel myself breaking. My tics are back with the stress. Plus I got dates mixed up, double booked my writing group and missed friends in the pub last night as I was convinced it was today. It wasn't a planned day out from the beginning of the month, so silver linings, I didn't spend there.

However I did spend stupidly yesterday. Trying to finish a bit of work, I ended up missing my train, and realized I wouldn't have time to cook before the meeting. Rather than waiting until I got in and having a piece of toast or something, I decided to buy a mysterious pie in the little platform shop. That and a drink was £5.80. I couldn't see the prices anywhere, but my life! Plus the super hot filling spurted out and burned my hand. 

Anyway, *screams*... That's better. Time to put yesterday behind me, apart from the good bits, which were:

* A lovely chocolate cherry cookie made by one of my trainees.
* Discovering Google docs has better suggested editing features now, so I could give my friends at writing group feedback with a click! Plus I could start making notes on the stories on my phone on the train.
* Post writing group inspired late night fakeaway chicken shop chicken - put some tandoori rub on some chicken thighs which made them zingy and crispy, cooked alongside paprika wedges, and I did some corn cobs in the instant pot.
* Borrowbox - I had the audiobook of Mark Lawrence's The Girl and the Stars to help me through all my marking. 
*Colleagues to agree things are a little mad at the moment. A problem shared is not a problem solved, but it is evidence of the problem.

Thrifty_Taylor

Get well soon @wishus.

NSD#9
Work went well, though my patience was tested immensely by 10am! Remembered to phone about DS2's bursary, as he was panicking that I'd filled in the wrong form. I hadn't, the lady has just been overwhelmed with applications, so hasn't sent out letters yet. Phew! Went to visit a friend in a neighbouring parish, went a walk somewhere I'd not been before, lovely views & saw the local farm which had appeared on the 'This Farming Life' programme.
Have an appointment on Monday first thing, to get blood, etc taken to start along the potential kidney donor journey.

Grateful for DS's bursary form being the right one, nice views, catch up with a friend

Toni'sfriend

Another heat and maggot hater here!

I remember  Abundant's winter cruise. That was a lot of fun. Strangely I always think of it as a pirate ship as well, Apple. Friends of ours had a canal boat. Many a happy holiday was spent tootling up and down the Yorkshire canals. Just don't put me in charge of steering or operating locks or we'll all drown!

Got my hair done yesterday and I'm really pleased with it. Even the Boy noticed. That must be a first. Got all the little bits of holiday shopping done as well. A bit of a spendy day. Printed off boarding passes for one of the neighbours as I'm the only one around who seems to have a working printer.

Today I'm going to tidy the Boy's flat. I haven't been for a few weeks so goodness knows what sort of state it's in. 

BadBookkeeper

Morning Turtles.  Here’s my update for yesterday:

Woke up in a foul mood & it lasted all day yesterday.  Made a lasagne for tea & some banana bread to use up sad bananas and my mood lifted! 

- Played badminton outside with DS.
- Put DS old school shoes on eBay.
- NSD 10/15.

We are having our big day out today all budgeted for and enough fuel in the car. Hope the rain doesn’t spoil it.

Will be a spendy day so also ordered DS new school shoes online through tcb. 

grandmanerd

No naughty step  for anyone who pushes f0xh0les overboard and she's top of the jetsam list if we start to take on water (I nearly said we're all likely to get our feet wet at some point). I was going to read up on our section of the canal and I know we have  a magnificent set of locks in the upper half of the borough. Fit turtles can take a turn and us poorlies will band together (3 or 4 of us) to do the job of one fit turtle (now I want to be a fit turtle - ah well I can dream).

Life on a canal boat looks peaceful and relaxing but they take quite a bit of maintenance to keep them that way. Luckily the boat repair place is part way along our journey and in an emergency DS2's friend's family are just up the road (or cut) from us. His parents owned the little basin (as well as several boats including the Womble which has been in a television drama) but I suspect they've now gone travelling leaving DS2's friend and his sister in charge. We'll get some big strapping lads and lasses to haul it out with the lift at Worsley and they can do all the waterproofing the underside and playing with he engine (see I've even provided entertainment).

Just checked and it's 23 miles, 7 miles of the Leeds and Liverpool from Wigan, starting at Wigan Pier (literary and historic references) to Leigh (with locks from ....... Springs to Hindley - used that bit as a short cut for a job interview) passing Wigan Flashes Nature Reserve (I've done environmental work experience there in the reed beds) soon after leaving the Pier.

When we get to  that bridge (the one that's the bane of my life) in Leigh the Leeds and Liverpool ends and the Bridgewater Canal begins.  Next stretch is to Worsley (very picturesque, timber framed houses around a traditional green) but you get a reminder of our industrial past just before Worsley as the water turns brown. I've walked that part fairly often and a bit further as far as Monton. I think you can get as far as Eccles but I'm not familiar with that part (I did look into it when I was doing voluntary work in Hulme - I know you can get to the Pomona Docks on the ship canal, just down the road from Hulme). 

However we will pass Salford Quays and Media City before going into Manchester. It should be very interesting. Nature, culture, history, engineering as well as the hands on practical stuff (making sure we don't sink or crash). if we're very lucky abundant  might make us tea (or a picnic) at the end.

Anyway I'd better stop shilly-shallying (yes MSE elves the spelling and usage is good) and do some work. 

beanielou

This chest infection has pretty much wiped me out.
no0w on seco0nd lot of ant5ibiotics.
As I already suffer from incontience this is such fun~~not.
The amount of washing is just unreal & I keep running out ofr knickers!!

Thrifty_Taylor

Sending hugs @beanielou, hope these tablets kick the infection into touch! X

NSD#10
Woohoo, double figures 😊 work a bit up & down this afternoon, but the highlight of my day has to be from this morning. Myself & a colleague were standing at the front of the class, asking some age 6&7 year olds what was the same about us. Got the obvious ones, you're both girls, both wearing blue etc, suddenly a little boy put his hand up & said "you both have boobs!" None of the other kids reacted but we were trying so hard not to laugh! Then when we were discussing differences, another boy said that I had bigger boots than the teacher - we were both holding our breath in case he said boobs again! 😂 Out of the mouths of babes, eh?! 🤣

Did 2 hand sewing jobs whilst watching TV, then put a new zip in a coat after tea (put the first bit in back to front, so had to unpick it 😓) sold 3 more coins on eboy 😊

Grateful for little children's comments, that it's nearly Friday & I've got more sewing done ready to deliver

greent

Can't remember if I said, but I dropped a large bag of clothing and shoes into CS on Monday - good to get it out of the way. I've also got a small bag of items for the shoebox appeal, so will email the local coordinator about that in a mo. I plastic item (random piece of hot wheels track) went in the bin today. 

Baked scones (only 1 left!), did 3 loads of laundry (2 fully dry, last one mostly but now over (unheated) airers for the night, as it started to drizzle) and slow cooked a joint of pork in apple juice and spices for pulled pork for dinner tomorrow - will make fresh rolls tomorrow for that Dinner tonight was fajitas, so quite quick and easy Ooh - and I prepped all of the HG Victoria plums and they are now in the freezer for jam making and/ or crumbles. I've got several kilos of cooking apples to prep and maybe a kilo or 2 of eating apples (damaged ones- good ones in fruit bowl) to also do. May make Eves pudding for dessert tomorrow night, too 😋😜

Thankful for dry enough weather, for rainwater in the butts and buckets, for getting a few things done ✔