NST: February 2023 Freedom

pollyanna_26

Thrifty_Taylor said:

Thank you @beanielou, that's so kind of you 😍 Wishing your maw an early happy birthday & a belated one for yours @apple_muncher. My mum was 66 on Wednesday, hence our fun day yesterday 😃

NSD#7
Did yoga for the first time this week. Hung the washing out on the line, then walked 4.3 miles with DH. Had the remains of lady night's takeaway for dinner, then bagged up & moved 0.5 tonne of sand. Decided to rest & read my book for half an hour then. After tea I did the ironing, half an hour's knitting whilst watching TV, did the dishes, then more Norwegian practice (38 day streak now! 😊)

Grateful for the wind not being as strong today, watching geese flying overhead, listening to Anne of Green Gables audiobook & hot water bottles to ease my aching back

When I was growing up I loved the Anne books and the little Women series. I used to hope for one Christmas and Birthday - six months apart.

My dad made me a bookshelf  next to my bed which was 6 months earlier than the festive season . My sisters were refused entry. I'd be readig under the covers and mum would call up Are you asleep? 9 times out of 10 I'd shout down yes and she'd riun up the stairs and take the book away.  my favourite Auntie much younger than her siblings bought me a little torch and all was good.

I live on the coast and the wind was pretty gale force today. I'm just a short walk  from an RSPB site and depending on the season we have lots of Pink Footed Geese flying overhead very noisy and a lot of tourists have food snatched out of their hands in Summer.

Winter they're fed at the site then near Spring  they begin to fly to sunnier climes in large groups and the air is just a lot of noise. Autumn t's noisy again as they and all the birds-  many with names beginning with S return in large numbers from their summer hols.

Every good wish for your husband.

Beanie would you try to use the walker more? I'm sure it must worry your Maw . your son and your friends now you're having so many falls. Look on it as an early birthday gift for her.

pollyx

weenancyinAmerica

@pollyanna_26 - I was so lucky I inherited the first five books in the Anne of Green Gables series they were originally my grandmother's books and then my mother's and then mine. I have passed a couple of new editions to my grandniece, but the original are too battered to make it much further. Loved Anne of Ingleside. I also read all of the Little Women series also, but my favorite book was An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott. We were so lucky weren't we to have such wonderful books to read. Now most of the children I work with want fantasy, but not like our books. My favorite book though was Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. I still have two copies of it. I think my youngest grand-niece will enjoy it, so I will be passing along one copy to her. 

ldee2111

OH and I took DS to cycle park for some practice early this morning. DS needs to strengthen his legs before we remove the stabilisers. Came home and had lunch (mine leftovers from last night’s takeaway). Nice to have a takeaway treat last night because OH’s Mum and Dad came over. But it did use our whole ‘leisure’ budget for the weekend. 

Sunday sweeps going into savings this week: 

Transport £70 (because OH had Norovirus and didn’t go into the office this week)

Food £0 (because grocery bill has increased so much)

Leisure £0 (because we got a takeaway last night for us and OH’s parents)

Grateful today for a dry day (washing is out!), for getting to the cycle park early and having it to ourselves, and for tatsty takeaway leftovers for lunch. 

grandmanerd

12 small plated went to the cs yesterday, wrapped in loads of bubble wrap with extra bits down the sides and 15 carrier bags for them to reuse. Had a look round but didn't buy then made my way slowly up the pedestrianised shopping street to buy a dozen (new) men's white hankies from the age concern shop (they've only had the ladies ones in the last few times I've been but I seem to be down to one pale green gingham one and want to stop resorting to toilet roll/ kitchen roll and napkins). 

Having gone that far I decided to try going as far as icy land and bought some cooked meat and other bits (everything fit in one bag for life). Slowly made my way back home (ventured in one more cs and looked in the windows of a few others), had a brief sit down, requested DS3's help to get back upstairs and I think I fell asleep at 7 pm. Woke just after midnight but not for long.

Have just finished off my 1 l box of carrots/ celery etc and have a little bit of salmon salad to pick at (midday pill due about 2 pm) and will then recommence pottering and try a few urgent phone calls - I may bid on a house at auction on the 23rd but need to organise a lot of stuff this week. Plus short appointment at the surgery this week and the man who's mother bought mum's bungalow wants me to move the 'garden furniture' this week (had given up on it but will see what I can do).

Grateful for a gentle start to the day, salmon salad and books (not moving until I've read the last 22 pages of this one).

pollyanna_26

weenancyinAmerica said:

@pollyanna_26 - I was so lucky I inherited the first five books in the Anne of Green Gables series they were originally my grandmother's books and then my mother's and then mine. I have passed a couple of new editions to my grandniece, but the original are too battered to make it much further. Loved Anne of Ingleside. I also read all of the Little Women series also, but my favorite book was An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott. We were so lucky weren't we to have such wonderful books to read. Now most of the children I work with want fantasy, but not like our books. My favorite book though was Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge. I still have two copies of it. I think my youngest grand-niece will enjoy it, so I will be passing along one copy to her. 

When I was a very determined 3 then 4 year old who could read I pestered the head librarian on an almost daily basis for a library ticket like my mums. Library was just along the road and being in NW England it was usually raining and myself and my wellies would be soaked when I dared to enter her highly polished kingdom which didn't go down well . I was told to come back when I was 5 when I would be able to have a ticket as I would be old enough to read then. I took a book with me a couple of days later to prove I could read but was told come back when you're 5.

The younger assistantwas lovely but told me she couldn't help. My mum was reading her way through the Miss Read books. The Fairacre and Thrush Green series based on her time as a teacher so I started reading those as Mum had a number of tickets and would bring the previous books home with the latest book. Years later I wondered if that's why I walked away from my TaxOfficer job in the Liver Buildings waving goodbye to the ferries crossing the River, My beloved Liver Birds and whispering Thank you to the statue of Minerva on top of the town hall that Helen Forrester used to beg for help as she was wee slavey to her uncaring parents.

Years later she sailed to America with her young son; She returned a numberof times was granted the freedom of the city and some time later a blue plaque went on the house across the mersey she always longed to return to but due to her once very wealthy parents squandering their money they had to cross the river and live in squalor and starvation to escape their creditors.

We were lucky with good books . I also loved poetry and was lucky to get to know the Liverpool poets when we 6th formers were allowed to spend some time in the original Picton Library to study.

It involved a long journey from Grammar school into the city and soon the Kardomah cafes began to open and we'd often sit in the nearest one feeling very grown up chatting to the poets Brian Patten was my favourite and I still have The Mersey Sound book of their work.

The recant not very normal Pandemic years have had the words of Blue Remembered Hills in my head and realising that was the land of lost content before the pandemic and we can never go there again.

My children varied where books were concerned. Eldest and only son was intent on geting out after school to play football with his friends.

Each pupil in his senior school had to take  abook home each night and read. He " Lost a few books but the crunch came when the school didn;t have enough copies of Catcher in the Rye so he borrowed it from our main library then within a couple of days he reckoned he'd lost it again. Rather than a paperback he'd picked a very big expensive hardback and I got a call from his year head the book would need replacing so I ignored his pleas and no football for him as I'd stopped his pocket money I'd had to pay for the book was back in my purse.

Eldest dd was an avid reader of good books and went on to make her career mainly in books for decades . Lockdowns meant all her stores from Scotland in to Lancashire were constantly closing, reopening then closing again. She was phoning wee Nicola in Scotland to complain but although I told her thems the rules she marched in to her big boss and handed in her notice.

She got a huge payout and half price books for life set up her own gardening business and went to train at RHS Harlow Carr.

Both she and Nicola are natural redheads though dd went blond a while ago. Dd is very tall and it did amuse me that the wee readhead won.

Midde dd has always chosen boo ks by influencers I gre w very tired of being told I should read Davina's  books to learn about healthy cooking. I was cookingf from scratch from chidhood taught by my mum who'd been a confectioner before her marriage and my dad who left the Royal Navy after WW2 convoy duties and retrained as a chef.

Bookwise youngest dd has been less complicated  Her favourite books when young were the Katie Morag books. Back then in my middle infants class there were a number of girls called Katy and just a couple of Katie's.

I used to say Katy with aY or an ie to try to get a response from the right girl.

When youngest got ito Katie Morag books it led to a ride on the Jacobite Steam Railway to prove that Katie Morag and her grandmother wasn't fimed on the fictional island of Struay but on the Isle of Lewis. She always seemed attracted to something that wasn't straightforward or just up the road.

Balamory/ Tobermory was another with the coloured houses

Things were easier once we were preodering the twice a year Pratchetts and the Rebus books. I've just read the last Rebus but am hoping there will be one more.

Thinking of youngsters likes and dislikes does anyone remember An Ameriican Tail? Struggling to sleep last night I trawled through some favourite songs onYouTube.  Among my own was Somewhere Out There which youngest played a lot- it was a blessed relief from never eding MMMBop.

I'd forgotten how lovely Linda Ronstadt and James Ingrams voices were. If you're reading GMN I watched the Beautiful South Manchester song the one before they split up when Paul got soaked. It still makes me laugh.

Hope everyone is ok.

Bit cold and miserable here but supposed to brighten up in the next day or two.

I ordered a knitting pattern a couple of weeks ago which arrived next day. Two different shawls with pockets. One is Stocking Stitch the other Irish Moss which I prefer. They look as though they'd be ideal indoors and out and perfect for winter nights.

Luckily I have  some Sirdar Faroe Chunky left over from when I knitted a Stormy

Skies Shawl and the same in Super Chunky I  might make a lap blanket with.

I need to have one more look for my steel knitting needles. I've a feeling they may have been in the big bag of yarn I took to youngest to keep her occupied when shielding.

I do have a full set of bamboo ones but prefer the steel for larger items.

pollyx

lcc86

Afternoon turtles, forgot to post yesterday but it was a NSD. I did some housework first thing then worked at my part-time job for a few hours. Came home and sat on the sofa for a few hours under the duvet with a book, bliss. 

OH and I went out for dinner, my suggestion but he paid so I got to keep my NSD. Thought it would be a nice early valentines treat for us both, it was really nice. I had budgeted for something for valentines so I might get us a takeaway on Tuesday. 

Today has been a spend day, bought OH a card and some chocs. Also paid for a car wash (really annoyed as when I got to my destination I got out and it was still dirty!). Went to see my share pony and had a nice ride together. Cooked some lunches for OH and I and hoovered, now I'm all done and dusted for the evening. 2 days at work next week then a week off.

f0xh0les

Can I please remind everyone that Tuesday 21st February is (IPAD) 

International Pancake Awareness Day

Just so nobody's  budget gets ambushed by an Unidentified Flatish Object.

weenancyinAmerica

@pollyanna_26 - I used Somewhere Out There as the background music for the PowerPoint program I did for one of the classes I was taking last semester. Actually I am taking the class again as I learn more every time and it helps keep me going. I am taking another class from the same teacher via a different school also on PowerPoint and am going to use My Ideal Trip to England as the theme as she said we could choose what we wanted. I have been writing out the trip as if I was really going and the memories have been great. 

beanielou

@pollyanna_26.  Yes, my maw & my friends & DS all worry about the falls.
The really frustrating thing from my point of view is that the falls are usually when I would not be using the walker anyway.
'Our' Nicola is a force to be reackoned with. I have also met her a couple of times.
Loved the latest Rebus, like you hoping for one more    That will be an end of an era indeed.

Shrewbie

HI turtles!

@apple I’m a long way off being able to read that! To be fair I struggled with it in English!!

Hope everyone is doing well. I had a great day today, Dizney on ice was amazing, a little bit of magic to start the day with. I bought cheap seats not knowing if the view would be good and it was actually phenomenal. We went out for tacos afterwards but was quite a cheap place and we used our cash. 

Got home and did my splits challenge then batch cooked a lentil soup and some quinoa protein balls. Still on NSD 6. 

Grateful for a lovely day out, for managing to be productive.