NST NIFTY NOVEMBER

beanielou

Oh @Esmeralda2662 , that sounds dire. So glad that you are ok.

Thrifty_Taylor

Sending hugs @Esmeralda2662, sounds like you've had a tough time. Hope you rest up on the chaise lounge for a while now, while you recuperate. Hope your uncle's treatment goes well too 

Had an extra hour in bed, did exercises, then me & DH walked to the village & back. I put on my scruffy clothes, plugged in my headphones & spent a happy couple of hours planting miniature daffodils in the garden & snipping branches before the rain started to fall. Took the washing off the line - LOTS of socks, typical! 

Finished my book at lunchtime, really enjoyed it. DS1 has been keeping a secret that his friend told him in spring, about something awful that has happened to them, it's been eating him up inside, trying to support them as best he could. He opened up to me about it & had a good cry, so think it helped him a little. 

DS3 missed the bus home again, after spending the day in town. He'd helped mum a little in the haberdashery shop, where she works, & loved it. Said he'd love to work there. He'd had a good afternoon with his girlfriend, who had bought DH a present & get well card after his transplant. She's never met him, so was a lovely gesture! I messaged her tonight, before he received the gift, & she told me I have a lovely smile ♥️

Grateful for time spent outside, my loving family - not everyone is so lucky, my son's big heart, that he felt able to speak to me about things, compliments on my smile & handiwork on a sewing job I'd done, good music on the radio

grandmanerd

Hugs Esmerelda.
DrCarrie many many congratulations.

Yesterday didn't go entirely to plan but it was good. Apparently DS1 had interpreted my last message as meaning I would go directly to the restaurant whereas I went to the agreed meeting place (Town Hall square) only to find a massive redevelopment project underway and the whole thing swathed in white wrap and circled by portakabins. Made my way around the edges in the general direction of the public toilets only to find the block that housed the toilets (town hall extension) is now the police station (wondered if trouble was expected when I'd seen all the police vans dotted around). Went to the toilets in Central Library and then sat down to phone DS2 (DS1 still isn't back in the phone after I killed the previous one earlier in the year, DS2 wasn't either but his number was in the messages section - recognised the last 3 digits). 

Made my way back round the square as they obviously hadn't tucked any stalls behind the Town Hall or anywhere, nearly hugged a stranger (he looked like DS1 from about 15 yards away) and then had a phone call from DS1 who told me to make my way down a block (to the nearest side street with stalls) and he and darling d-i-l would come to meet me. The stalls in King Street were mostly food stalls (not good news for someone for whom lunch was still an hour and a half away) so found a space to sit out of the way until DS1 and Dd-i-l arrived. Didn't know what most of the food was anyway, except most of it looked fried, loaded with cheese or verboten in some other way.

Meandered through the stalls in the general direction of the restaurant but didn't buy or even pick anything up for a closer look. Again most of them were food or drink stalls. Challenged DS1 as he was rather gloomy and he replied that he'd been stabbed in the chest the day before. Was not as dramatic as he made it sound. He's had problems for several years following an accident as he left the gym one evening. A car killed his bike and because of poor working conditions, he couldn't afford time off to get proper treatment and physiotherapy, so he's a bit of an old crock. They found a previously un-diagnosed genetic condition which had been held at bay by a vigorous work out and running routine (plus things like rock climbing and tough mudder) and this year he's been admitted to hospital twice with breathing difficulties (one was thought to be a possible heart attack). Lots of tests followed and having ruled out everything else out, on Friday the stuck a long needle in to extract trapped air from behind his lung which was preventing them from expanding properly. Unfortunately the newly fully expanding lungs were ripping apart all the old scar tissue from the genetic condition, so he was in serious pain.

The meal was lovely, the staff were lovely (they sent me up and down in a service lift). The meal was expensive (as expected) but probably worth the money. We have finally beaten the bar set by DS2 in his student years. I took him and his then gf to a Chinese restaurant (but it had to be the one sometimes frequented by David Beckham as gf was obsessed with him). Every other time I've had Chinese meals in Manchester with one of the boys, it's been at the massive one with an all-you-can eat buffet downstairs and the restaurant part always has huge family groups of Chinese people eating there. DS2 once went with the parents of one of his uni friends (they owned several restaurants and bought her her own flat to live in whilst she was studying) and he said the friend's dad didn't even glance at the menu, he just told the waiter what he wanted to eat and how he would like it cooked.

However I've only seen DS1 and his wife a few times this year (mum's funeral, a day when DS1 came to help with paperwork and twice for meals). They paid last time, I paid this time so over the year it's a lot cheaper than when we met almost monthly for a meal. I will see them again on Christmas Eve and I am staying with them for a few days (to be determined), so no shopping or cooking for me which makes the cost of yesterday a bargain. 

They asked what else I wanted to see when we came out. I had a vague plan for going across to Piccadilly gardens to shop at the Morries salad bar (and more stalls) but the brakes on the walker were stuck (DS1 sort of unstuck them but he thinks it's kaput) so I elected to come home (it was 4 pm so I knew it would be dark before I got home). They walked with me (the free bus stops had been removed - they're doing another phase of whatever they were doing in Deansgate last time) with frequent pauses for me to rest and DS1 to unstick the brakes. Long queue at the bus stop and the first bus that came had people standing jammed like sardines - a few more squeezed on.

Another 3 buses queued behind including another of ours (people leapt at it so the driver couldn't just bypass that stop). He stopped to speak to the husband of a woman in a motorised wheelchair, then moved the bus down to the bus stop but wouldn't let anyone on until he'd accommodated the lady in the wheel chair. DS1 told me to follow her and most people were happy to make way for me. I'd nearly reached the head of the queue when one woman decided to be stroppy and jumped on board (the driver was still helping the lady in the wheelchair), saying that she'd been waiting ages and she wasn't going to let 'all these people' push in front of her. I said very quietly 'some of us can't stand up' and the last few people immediately made way for me and glared at her (even her husband was telling her to get off) until she said 'Of course I could get on'. 

A very full bus and mostly amicable - 2 quite jolly ladies had spent the afternoon 'sampling' and kept telling everyone they had 20 bottles of gin in their bags so if the bus broke down, we were going to have a party. The wheelchair lady and her husband chatted quite loudly about people often not making allowances for her being in a wheelchair and having fewer options than most other passengers (I think it was a dig at stroppy woman but also part of the process of 'educating people' and making them think). 

Very tired and very glad to get home. I came straight upstairs, didn't need any more food, read until I fell asleep. Was awake quite early (but had maybe 10 hours of sleep). I've had my pills, showered and eaten but my leg's aching a lot so will stay where I am, continue sorting and tidying (took a huge bag of books and dropped them off before getting on the bus). Need an outline of the week (and probably the month). Jotted down a list of things I need to sort before completion on the bungalow (bins, keys, find 2 bits of paper, get the trees and decorations to the cs, bring the stuff I hid in the shed home) and have to get the wall down and bricks tidied away before the builder comes next week. It's going to be another physically tough week (and possibly month).

My niece phoned me as arranged yesterday evening. Unfortunately she was at A & E with my brother, his blood tests had shown dangerously high potassium levels - he might need immediate treatment (quick test), need to be admitted or just have ongoing needs. A few anxious hours (something at the back of my mind has kept telling me this year hasn't finished with me yet but it's at the back because I'm not giving it any attention or feeding it) but fortunately they released him at 10.30 pm, she just has a raft of further appointments to organise on Monday (which means meeting at her house may be postponed, brother still isn't keen).

Grateful for my brother being okay (for now), for seeing DS1 and darling d-i-l and for them both being much happier in their work and in themselves and getting things out of the house.


 

Shrewbie

Hi turtles! I just thought I'd pop on and say hi, sorry for not posting (I am reading along) and will be back in December. Thank you grandmanerd especially, your posts have really helped me this month. Sending you all love and hugs. 

apple_muncher

Ooh, shrewbie, you've a different signature! Or, at least, I've only just noticed it...

lcc86

@Esmeralda2662 I hope you're feeling better! Crashes are horrible, rest up and take care.

OH and I have spent the weekend in Stratford-upon-Avon. It's not somewhere we'd ever been before but really enjoyed it! Had lots of food and far too much coffee and cake! Haven't added up spends yet but I don't think it was too bad.

Got some batch cooking to get done quickly ready for the week ahead. Hope everyone has a restful Sunday. 

apple_muncher

December is live - do shout out if I've missed anything out!

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6406513/december-2022-the-turtles-do-the-cha-cha-cha/p1?new=1

DrCarrie

Hi all, 

I have had a lovely couple of days on Friday and Saturday, lovely treats and a bit spendy, but mostly not coming out of my wallet. my daughter has been here and my dad, her and I went for a really spendy lunch! My daughter did  BIG clothes shop yesterday. 

I am poorly today though, i thnk its the relief of paying that debt. 
I have had 2 NSDs since last posting. 

Grateful for, come lovely time with my daughter, the bright sunlight on Friday and amazing food. 

DawnW

Nothing spent today, but I have lost track of NSDs

OH and I did some housework this morning, and I made a chicken, ham and mushroom pie, a fruit tart and some flapjacks. Along with the chilli I made yesterday, this will cover meals for a few days.

Spendy week coming up, as the dog is going to the groomer on Tuesday, and we are meeting a friend for lunch out on Wednesday. We do this about twice a year, meeting up part way between her home and ours (we live about 100 miles apart). I will take her a jar of HM mincemeat as a small gift

Grateful for a reasonably tidy home and nice food for the coming days

ldee2111

That must’ve been terrifying @Esmeralda2662. Glad that you’re ok. 

Congratulations @DrCarrie. That’s fabulous news.

Sunday NSD 11.

After a really busy week, we decided the best thing to do today was spend the entire day at home… we had a lengthy lie-in… it was great. 

But we got a lot done…

Vacuumed all upstairs, washed all windows upstairs, hung a washing outside (it was sunny and mild here!), put yesterday’s washing away, changed DS’s bedding, ironed his school clothes, helped him write Christmas cards for his classmates, helped him practice his lines for the nativity, did reading homework, made dinner, chopped chicken for this week’s meals, and cleaned kitchen surfaces. Oh and learned how to draw both 5 and 6 point stars using triangles. 

Had good Sunday sweeps in:

• food 18
• leisure 18
• transport 32

All swept into either mortgage OP or holiday savings. 

Grateful today for getting jobs done around the house, for a day of just the three of us, for DS eating up his dinner (won’t eat plain old macaroni cheese but will scoff a homemade katsu curry), and for a warm home.