NST NIFTY NOVEMBER

grandmanerd

Tuesday 22nd November 2022

Simply Family Christmas Traditions
(from sloely - enjoying life slowed down)
" I don't have head space at Christmas to pop an elf on a shelf in some competitively comic position to post on bookface daily......and No I don't want an ugly sweater"
More meaningful
Traditions should mark time, connect us (as a family) to the passing seasons and cycles of our lives, nurture memories that tie us to the past and give us stories to pass to share light and hope with future generations in dark times. They should bring meaning and the belief that there is more to life than just ourselves. And no dodgy pullover mass produced in sweatshop conditions, goodness only knows where, then shipped around the world in a great cloud of pollution can do that for us.
1   Walk in a Winter Wonderland 
Scuffle through the leaves, hide amongst the trees, breathe with the trees and gather natural materials to make decorations
2    Mark the Winter Solstice
Light a bonfire to mark the shortest day (the author suggests bringing a log home from the woods for this but I'd suggest finding an alternative and leaving any fallen logs for natural habitats - I might use one of the post remnants of my hm fence panel). Save a piece to start next year's fire.
3   Light candles for those who have passed
Traditionally done at the end of October/ early November but could be incorporated with your decorations.
4   Plant trees for one and all
Plant your own tree, join in a local scheme or just donate to have a tree planted (possibly in memory of someone) in a suitable habitat (other habitats need saving and planting the wrong tree in the wrong place does no good). We had a local scheme a few years ago where someone would plant a fruit tree for anyone who had the space in their garden.
5   Gift a memory
Pass on something of yours to someone who'll appreciate it - an old paperback, a battered old teddy, or a single old china cup (saucers can be used under plant pots).
6   Play Football With Enemies
In 1914 British and German soldiers declared their own Christmas Day Truce and played football together in no man's land. The authorities continued the brutal conflict for 4 more years but on that day ordinary, supposedly unimportant men reached out across the divide and shared their common humanity. If every year we honour that tradition by reaching out to the "enemies" we have been fighting all year, we will not banish the darkness forever but will keep the light of forgiveness and reconciliation burning.
7   Sing Carols (with neighbours?)
If you join a group carol sing, your own cracked voice will disappear but you'll still feel the benefit. 
8   Share the Old Stories
Set aside time to read a story or watch a film together (or tell family stories).
9   Send Sorry Cards
Traditions from around the world have mingled and merged, newcomers from Victorian Britain with centuries old Scandinavian and Norse ones and even more ancient Roman Saturnalia which (amongst the festivities) had a tradition of asking forgiveness from those you have wronged before the the end of the year. So you could replace sending cards to one and all with a few to those you most need to say sorry to. If you find this too hard (or haven't anything to apologise for) you could send a card to someone who won't be getting any or very few. Some charities ask that you do this alongside your donation - a card for a homeless person, a lonely old person, a welcome letter to a refugee.
10   Go to Church, Any Church
For carols, for mass, for the retelling of the old story. You don't need to believe in a god or any god but we all need to believe in the power of love (Frankie version) and forgiveness and the unquenchable light of of human goodness born in every child.

(I have shortened and paraphrased this in places, but only a bit)

DawnW

Morning all

Sorry, I haven't been getting round to posting much, though I have been reading along. I have lost track of NSDs too, though there haven't been many.

Really cold here this morning, so I switched the heating on. The thermostat said 14.5 degrees, and that really is too cold! It is off again now though! I am making marmalade, so that is warming up the kitchen at least. I have taken all the citrus fruit out of the freezer, so there will be another batch tomorrow too (I freeze unused lemon halves, unloved oranges etc until I have enough for a batch of mixed fruit marmalade). Glad of the freezer space.

I will be sorting out the larder a bit, and making ragu later. I also need to try to return a parcel once more (will try the print in store option as my printer is playing up and it wouldn't print out the return label well enough for the shop to accept. Not sure if this option will work either, as they aren't very obliging. If it doesn't I will just sell the item on ebay instead. A nuisance, but it wasn't expensive. I wish all companies would send a returns label with the order, many do! Customer services sent me a QR code but that won't help if the shop won't play ball.

Went to Lidl yesterday for shopping, and wasn't given a receipt, which was annoying, as I like to record what I spend. Not sure if this is a new thing - 'It will be on your phone'. No it won't as I deleted their useless app, which hardly ever works and holds things up at the tills. Grrr!

Anyway, enough moaning   I need to see if my marmalade is ready to set.

thriftylass

Hello fellow turtles,

Today won't be a NSD, need a top up shop for cat food, onions and bin bags. Missed them off my last shop. But also should get the vodka and lemons needed to make my limoncello for this Christmas as it takes 3-4 weeks to mature. At least I won't need to buy bottles as I got a good stash and got some from a friend who didn't need hers any more.

Feeling super tired today, just din't sleep well. However, I will get through the day. 

My 30 day cleaning challenge items for tonight are:
- the baking cupboard
- the spice cupboard
- the mug, tea and coffee cupboard
- the cutlery drawer
- and the cupboard where the old freezer used to be and that now houses random things like more tupperware, spice bulk bags, lunch bags, and sharing platters

thriftylass

DawnW said:

Went to Lidl yesterday for shopping, and wasn't given a receipt, which was annoying, as I like to record what I spend. Not sure if this is a new thing - 'It will be on your phone'. No it won't as I deleted their useless app, which hardly ever works and holds things up at the tills. Grrr!

I hate it when on the rare occasion I go into a shop in town and they ask for my email to send me the receipt (and advertising carp). And then they stare at you in disgust when you just would like the paper copy and refuse to hand over an email address.

I went into the Botanic gardens the other day trying to get the yearly membership. Couldn't figure it out online. Thought I do it the old fashioned way and fill in a paper version at the reception. That would have been ok, but I forgot to bring cash, doh. The 95 year old volunteer asked me if I knew how to work the card reader, bless. 

Also the last bus has now given up their conductors, which is sad. Really liked them. Only plus now is that I can pay by card there and don't need to have 2.35 in exact change any more. (BTW that used to be 95p when I moved here 18 years ago)

Sometimes progress is good, sometimes not.

grandmanerd

I have plans for the day but they are flexible (so far the jabs only seem to be making me sleep a lot and the injection site is very sore - my white blood cells are rushing there and learning everything they need to to ward off this threat and anything similar that may appear over the coming months).

Most urgent are getting 2 trees and a large box of decorations to the cs and getting mum's black bin out for collection tomorrow. Depending how I feel I could attack her garden (harvesting/ pruning/ binning) or bag up some of the contents of the shed (everything that needs to be removed is now in the shed). This will involve either a taxi or bus fares (possibly both) and I really don't want to do it. No motivation other than it's simpler, cheaper to do or at least start some tasks now rather than later. I'd like to go to Art therapy but can come back early if it's too much.

I've had my pills, had a shower and finished off my bananas and I'd be quite happy to just stay here all day (just tackling little bits on each journey to and from the bathroom). DS3 and Beloved both had a stomach bug but I've thankfully only had the one incident. I'm definitely still wobbly so I'll stay here for a while and do extra grooming tasks, sort various categories of rubbish/ recycling and sort the bits into the small boxes I've gathered.

firsview

Afternoon Turtles. Grandmanerd I can sympathise with the sore arm, mine is killing me after Sundays jab and I keep bashing it on things. No one has punched me yet though!
The weather here yesterday was appalling and I had to give in and turn the heating on. I soon turned it off when I noticed my smart meter said it was using over £2 an hour for the extra gas, eek!
Today it is lovely and sunny so I may get a walk in later.

lcc86

Hi turtles

Had an early start today as had to head over to Wimbledon to work in their court as a one off. Journey was fine but had to queue outside for 30 minutes in the freezing cold to go through security checks. Never seen anything like it, they even used a knife wand thingy on a BABY...

Everything was delayed, I was meant to be done and dusted by 12 but didn't get out until 3, got home by 4.30 and worked from home for a bit.

Have done some spends today - pair of gym leggings that were massively reduced (I blame OH's sister as she asked for some for Christmas and as I was buying them I also bought some for myself lol), I had to buy lunch as wasn't allowed to bring food into the court (luckily I knew in advance), and I also had to order some medicine for my rabbit. Originally ordered it 12 days ago and it still hasn't come, have chased it once already with the original seller but now ordered again from a different company and paid extra for next day delivery. It's only eye drops but it's annoying when you pay for things and the seller can't be bothered to fulfil their part of the bargain!

grandmanerd

Slow start to the day - took me until lunchtime to get fully dressed, then I could only get downstairs, get food and huddle on the sofa with a couple of blankets. Mrs Builder brought the invoice for the gate and I paid it and handed over the charger for Mr Builder's drill as He'd left it behind. She sent me the brickie's estimate for the back wall rebuild and I said we didn't need the skip (I have a crafty plan for how to stash them away) and DS3 wants to knock down the wall himself (or just push it over - he saw the brickie making it move when he came to assess the job). She's relayed the changes to the brickie and we've saved £420. He can start on 5th December but is coming for money for materials tomorrow (bricks are currently £1.10 each and costs are rising by the day).

later this afternoon I went outside - another 6 bags have gone to rubbish and recycling and another 6 containers of soil have gone into the tree pots (incinerators). Most of the emptied containers are now in one pile (there are some at the bottom of the yard which I will collect next time - I had to keep telling myself not to fall as I seem to be very tottery). Should also use up three more boxes on the mulch layers and have added some brown paper bags (if I start running out I will go through the paper bin to find more).

Was happy to come back upstairs when DS3 came down. I've asked him to put the bins out and told him there was room for one more or possibly 2 large bin bags (I've been squashing them down with bricks). I'm not really ill but tired, dizzy and disorientated so will just wait it out and keep doing the bits I can.

Grateful for making progress, getting jobs booked (even if they're not the most glamorous), that I'm too ill to start getting in a panic about anything - I'll do what I can, what doesn't get done, won't.

beanielou

Don't overdo it @grandmanerd.
Hope you feel better really soon  xx

x_raphael_xx

thriftylass said:

  Random socks all I over the house are the worst. They just don't get it. Need to find a way to teach them

Bf soon stopped leaving his dirty washing on the floor when I started piling it up on his pillow

I don't usually bring it up to bf (I've given up nagging at him as it never works for long), now I just leave passive agressive 'memos' for him, such as if he doesnt change the loo roll and leaves the empty tube on the holder...I'll put it in his shoe to find.