Find the SecondStar and soar, and then straight on till the morning…

PennysIntoPounds

Great Vinted work! I really need to have a big sort and listings session...

In terms of life, the only thing I'd add to the advice already given is it's normal to have ups and downs in terms of knowing what you want, and how much physical energy and brain space is available, so make hay while the sun shines and don't beat yourself up when there are times when you just need to do the job that's in front of you. All progress is progress and you're doing fabulously 

Afdaff

I’ve just read through your whole thread and am somewhat in awe of how you’ve handled the challenges of the last couple of years and all that you are managing to do. As a crafter (spinning and knitting mostly) and friend of people who do historical re-enactment, I’ve been loving your insights and accounts of your creations, events and what you get out of it personally.

SecondStar

@pennysintopounds you’re just right about making hay whilst the sun shines, and not beating myself up. It’s the type of thing I would say to my friends in similar situations, but it’s always harder to remember to tell myself! Thank you.

@afdaff that is so kind, thank you so much! I’d love to chat more about spinning? I’m still in the incredibly initial process of research, before I commit to any purchases. What type of spinning is it that you do?



I went out to feed my rabbit last night, and found a tenner on my lawn! Not mine, and several meters away from the 6ft fence, so goodness knows how it got there, but I’m not one to sniff at cash growing on trees (grass)! I popped it into my change purchase, and transferred £10 from my online misc. spending pot into my EF.

Current EF tally - £2,720.53 / £4,347. £1,626.47 to go!



I wasn’t up early enough to make the car boot this morning, but I’ll go over to the festival for a bit, and check the charity shops in that town too. I also need to get pet supplies, so that’ll tie nicely.

SecondStar

Today was just lovely!

I’m sometimes a bit leery going to that town on my own, as my ex works in a shop there, but it was fine.

Arrived at 10, but it was still nice and quiet. Spent £8 in the charity shops - £3 on a double-sized wool blanket (can never pass up a wool blanket, they’re useful for sooo many reenactment uses!), and £5 on a beautiful A3 original acrylic paining of a bandstand in a pretty flower garden.

The blanket is a rather shocking shade of pink - conceivably historically accurate, but the modern taste of most reenactors runs a bit more subdued! I’m going to see about over-dying it to a more red shade, and then likely make an apron dress, and a hood or some hats from it.

The painting is on canvas board, so I want to find a frame for it. I think it’ll hang on the other side of the living room, once I’ve got my shelving and dividing room curtain up. It’s all pretty shades of green, pink, blue, and yellow, and it’ll look fantastic in a gold or bronze tone frame against the green of the walls!

I managed to pick up a large dog crate off of the free page, to contain my indoor cat in Wednesday whilst the contractors are here. She’ll absolutely hate it, and be really upset, but it’ll keep her safe and it’s a better option than keeping her in her carrier all day. At least with the crate there’s room for her litter tray and food bowls. I’ll put it under my desk and cover it with a blanket, and hope that the work is done quickly!

For my dog, I’ll likely just keep him on his harness and lead and have him tethered to me, so he doesn’t get underfoot. He is typically friendly, but multiple strange men in the house is liable to make him nervous. If it’s a good day, I might be able to put him outside with his bed, but we’ll see.

My partner will be here soon to help me get everything out of the attic - there’s about half a dozen boxes and a couple of other bits of tat.

I was remembering when I put the boxes up there, a couple of weeks after I’d moved in. I’d been casually talking to this other guy, and he’d promised he’d come over and help me put boxes into the attic at the weekend…and just never showed up. I ended up having to just put the lightest ones up there, which I could just about manage on the step ladder by myself, and the heavier ones I had to just stack up in the shed. That guy stood me up a couple more times, and then I decided I wasn’t going to bother with him anymore.

In comparison, my wonderful partner is driving an hour to mine after work, and will then have to drive an hour home after - he doesn’t have any other free time between now and Wednesday, and he, quote, doesn’t ‘want [me] to have to exert [myself]’. There’s the difference between a boy and a man!

After 32 years of being the one who does everything for everyone, and has to do everything for myself on top of that; it has taken a lot of time to get used to having someone who wants to do things for me, and who does them willingly and out of love - not with huffs or sighs, or begrudgingly. My partner is so generous with his time, his skill sets, and his energy - and he doesn’t just say that he’ll do something, he actually does it!

Afdaff

SecondStar said:

@pennysintopounds you’re just right about making hay whilst the sun shines, and not beating myself up. It’s the type of thing I would say to my friends in similar situations, but it’s always harder to remember to tell myself! Thank you.

@afdaff that is so kind, thank you so much! I’d love to chat more about spinning? I’m still in the incredibly initial process of research, before I commit to any purchases. What type of spinning is it that you do?



I went out to feed my rabbit last night, and found a tenner on my lawn! Not mine, and several meters away from the 6ft fence, so goodness knows how it got there, but I’m not one to sniff at cash growing on trees (grass)! I popped it into my change purchase, and transferred £10 from my online misc. spending pot into my EF.

Current EF tally - £2,720.53 / £4,347. £1,626.47 to go!



I wasn’t up early enough to make the car boot this morning, but I’ll go over to the festival for a bit, and check the charity shops in that town too. I also need to get pet supplies, so that’ll tie nicely.

Spinning is the best! Not that I’m trying to convince you to take up another hobby though… It’s something I admired from afar for a long while, even picking up a free spinning wheel once, but it was needing a replacement part, I knew nothing and didn’t really have space or time for it then so passed it on. Some years later I took a workshop in spinning with a drop spindle and dabbled in it on and off for a few years. Then an opportunity to borrow a wheel came up and I was properly away. I have my own wheel now but also enjoy using spindles of various sorts. I’m due to teach an introduction to spinning workshop soon which I’m really looking forward to!

SecondStar

Rounded out June on 26 NSDs, which I think is pretty good!

We did the car boot on Sunday, and got another lovely lidded wicker basket for £3 - it’s about half the size of the big one I got a few weeks ago (big one is already full!), and it’s just the right size for taking to 1-day enactment events, and for storing my stock items separately from my personal kit items. I’m a total sucker for a good basket!



It’s new boiler day tomorrow, and I’m half dreading it. It’s not even the expense at this point, it’s having the house full of contractors for 8 hours. They’ll need to access every room, and with the house being so small there’s no where for me to shut myself (and my pets) away for some quiet.

I don’t even particularly like my friends being in my home, let alone work people! It’s my safe space, and it feels incredibly invasive when I end up masking in front of people in my own home, due to my autism.

I plan to keep what I’ll need close by - noise cancelling headphones, my tablet for tv shows, a craft, a drink - so I can just stay in one spot on the sofa, and keep out of the way as much as possible. There’s really only one corner which isn’t either stacked with items which had to be moved for other access, or will need to be accessed.

It’s going to be a long, tiring day - I’m already looking forward to going to bed tomorrow!

KajiKita

Good luck today. I’m with you on the misery of contractors and work being done on the house. We are having our bathroom done atm and everything is everywhere…. Doing my swede in and it is already disturbing my sleep. Hope it all goes well and they clear off in good time today! 

KK

Afdaff

Good luck with surviving today. I’d hate it too. It’ll be worth it in the end though. I hope bedtime rolls round quickly for you.

SecondStar

Thank you both!

Work started at 8am, 2 contractors turned into 3, with talk of a 4th on the way - my tiny home is like a clown car, and feels like it’s falling down around my ears with all of the commotion going on, it’s very stressful.

Between the corners piled with things which had to be moved for access, and the other corners which need to be accessed, I’ve been squished onto one half of the sofa to keep out of the way.

My cat is secured in the crate with a blanket over it, along with her litter tray and food bowls, but I’m sure she’s scared and unhappy. At least she’s safe though, without the risk of escaping and getting lost. My senior dog is down beside me in his bed, on a lead, and is being plied with treats. He’s being exceptionally well behaved, bless him.

We’ve still a long way to go between now and 4pm. In hindsight, I wish I’d organised some easily accessible food - it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to make lunch in the kitchen, so it might be whatever bits I can grab in between men going up and down ladders…

SecondStar

On the plus side though, some of the Vinted money came through!

Current emergency fund today - £2,784.90 / £4,347.

£1,562.10 to go!