NST June 2023 Flotsam and Jetsam

Starlight_at_Sea

Super hot on my way back from the city today. Am in the stopping train without Aircon or power. Bit of a saga over my train ticket and whether it was valid or not.

Ended up buying a 1st class ticket for £70 so I could sit down in the cool and use power - can reclaim it but that will force me to do the expenses! 

 Exausting few days for work just now. Long long days, not many finishes before midnight. Am due to be off tomorrow but will have a half day to work - interviewing people, so fingers crossed for them.

Sending love to all those going through tough times just now. And to ditty, I am so jealous of your swim, I'll try to fit one in tomorrow! 

f0xh0les

Starlight_at_Sea said:

@f0xh0les apologies, I'm mortified! I meant another one done... 😳

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Too funny!

ldee2111

Pay day today and was happy to see the 5% cost of living increase had been added. It’s given us a wee bit extra for our monthly budget and me a wee bit extra for myself. I won’t be rushing out to buy a Ferrari but I do feel a bit flush because I’d definitely be able to rush out and buy a packet of French Fancies. 

Dropped DS at school and returned 30 minutes later to watch the Primary 1’s end of term performance in the playground. It was really lovely watching and listening to them. An uplifting start to my day. 

Grateful today for precious performances from DS and his classmates, for payday, and for evening silliness with DS and OH. 

f0xh0les

Oh @grandmanerd you would have been proud of me today!  We had a thunderstorm at suppertime, it pelted down for 20 minutes, the roads flooded to rivers - honestly it was knee deep!  the gutters could not cope, and I lost both the  lights and power to the sockets in the whole of the back of the house. The RCD  switch had tripped and would not come back on for love nor money. So we had supper (hooray for gas ovens!) while I waited for whatever it was to hopefully dry out.  I have a 'whistles and bells' house insurance policy for a reason.    Turns out, the bucket we were using under the 1cm hole between the rooftiles had totally tilted and dumped about a pint straight down the lightbulb in the upstairs loo (used maybe once a day if that) .  All sorted now, after a bit of bulb removal,  ladder climbing, loft wobbling, and floor drying.  The switch would let me turn it back on.  Phew!!  Sadly I had just had a  medicinal cider before DS3 came down to ask why I had watered the toilet floor (he just assumed it was me and my weird cleaning regime), so really not ideal to go ladder climbing, but better than sending one of the boys up there to clatter about.

Anyway, problem found, issue resolved, and  earlier on, I emailed the architect about possible builders free to sort the house out.

DH is away in NewCastle, so no help at all,  the bucket is  emptied and restored to level ground, everyone is fed. 

Before all this happened, I finished scraping the wall in the back yard, painted it and had all the pots and planters moved back before 10am.  2 loads of laundry line dried and folded, volunteered, shopped for top ups, and fed people, so all in all a productive day. 

Starlight_at_Sea

I am proud of you our @f0xh0les! 

I am struck by a twinge in my back and wondered if any friends here had any useful advice as I had a busy day planned tomorrow! 

 After 4 hours on the bumpy train I felt a bit uncomfy when I disembarked and was conscious on the 40 min drive that I felt unusually 'solid' in my lower back and like I was maybe seizing up. Its been very uncomfortable and increasingly tight. Realised I can't bend or twist or reach. Tried heat lotion, keeping moving (in a robotic way) and ibuprofen. Not quite sure how to get into bed! 

grandmanerd

I'm proud of you too, f0xh0les.

Starlight, I'd rethink doing a 'busy day'. Advice with a bad back is usually lying flat on the floor or the bed (if it's firm enough, a bed you sink into won't help at all). I'd try gently flexing and relaxing it. Stretch yourself as flat and 'long' as you can and then release. Sometimes raising your feet a bit helps (on a pillow or cushion) so your back is slightly stretched. A trapped nerve is usually a very sharp pain, your's sounds as though you've 'overdone' something. I'll add more if I can think of anything useful.

I had quite a good day yesterday although didn't get my allotted tasks done (another very sleepy day). Grateful for a few good things that have happened. When I went shopping there was a dog in a shop window. It was a jewellery shop so the displays were at waist height and he was lying in the empty space underneath. I thought he was an albino Alsatian but a notice on the window said he was a Siberian husky and he likes sitting in the window watching what's going on. His brother (brown and grey colouring) lies inside the shop by the counter.

I didn't feel up to moving the bed but I'm getting increasingly desperate about some missing items and it moved easily when I gave the corner a good shove and I scooped up as much as possible before I got tired. I've found one of the missing library books so I had something to read (I've read all the large print ones I had and am a bit fed up with the 'romance' I'm reading - good story teller but the character is a bit exasperating and I can't read that or the 2 crime novels when it gets dark).

I've ordered a large shop which will be delivered this (Friday) afternoon, decided to see if the laptop remembered the Ocado details and luckily it didn't ask me to verify it - I've had a large Tessim0 order in the basket all month but couldn't verify without the pinsentry. I found the pinsentry later. It was in an eminently suitable place (not in the pile of chaos), I just hadn't remembered putting it there. Found a few other useful things in the heap and have managed to discard 2 large paper carrier bags full of old lists and the like. I'm working through the rest in stages.

I did a very small shop yesterday, nearly gave up but bought essentials including eye drops as I was ready to scratch my own eyes out (hayfever again). On the way home I found roadkill - a pound coin and a 50p. They were on the dimpled slabs of the pedestrian crossing. I nudged the pound with my toe - some jokers think it's fun to glue them down (or embed them in the tarmac) - but swiftly bent to collect them. This was one category I didn't think I'd have any success with this month - extra money. Now I've filled in a survey for a £5 voucher and found roadkill.

Finding the pinsentry machine means I don't have to travel to Bolton this week and I had a discount voucher on the online shop which saved over £20 (the original order gave me £20 off a £60 shop and it must have been so long ago that they gave me a voucher code for this one too). A fairly expensive shop but they all seem to be these days. I've included lots of cheats - I need to eat healthily and avoid temptation at all costs, so lots of ready to eat items and the ingredients I need to do more. The smaller convenience stores I've been able to access seem 'brand heavy' and oos on things like reduced fat cheese (but lots of pork pies, scotch eggs, pastry and cream).

Unfortunately I still need to sort out the kitchen. Another bird had got in the house and was stuck and in extricating it DS3 moved a roll of lino, which is now lying diagonally across the kitchen floor - I can get across to the back door but getting near  under the stairs is difficult and I can't open my freezer door. I think he had to move the large table top that's leaning against the wall as it nearly tripped me up.

It will be sorted (even if I have to put things in boxes and bags and shove them in the yard whilst I clean). I'll take my morning pills as soon as it turns 5 am and then see if I can sleep for a while.

Thrifty_Taylor

Morning all

Go @f0xh0les, just goes to show we don't need a man to get things done! Glad you've got your electrics sorted out.

A stressful start to my work day yesterday. Our primary school is situated just below the secondary school & we share an astro turf pitch (which we never use!). We have at least 20 x tonne bags of stuff to resurface it, dumped in our carpark, which greatly reduces the available spaces for parking. A van was 'parked' partially blocking the through road, so the buses couldn't get past, & the cars backlogged. I drove all the way round, thought I'd park round the corner, but couldn't get access due to roadworks, then had to go back through the traffic lights & park halfway down the road towards the pier. I WAS NOT amused!!

The class I work in went yole sailing. Was dreading it as I thought they were going to be tiny, circular boats, bit they were bigger & regular sail boat shape. Had a good time on the water & it calmed me down again. The rest of the work day went ok. Arrived home, walked across my bed to reach something at the other side (tiny room + choc-a-block with stuff), & discovered a cat had been sick on it 🤢 cleaned it up, then got one if the DS's to change it for their job today, whilst I washed the dishes. Chopped lots of gooseberry branches into smaller pieces & put in sacks, ready to take to the dump. Don't want prickly pieces in my compost & the shredder needs some attention. Felt like I'd achieved lots, including cooking enough dinner & tea for 2 days 😃

Grateful for time on the water, getting things done, DH going for walks most days to nearby gardens at the hospital

f0xh0les

Glad DH is well enough to be getting out a bit in this weather.  He must be missing you all so much. 

ditty1234

Morning all, have stayed home to sort out a few Marking frogs and I still have one larger frog to sort out with a troublesome student, in good part my fault, but I am going to go into work as will need second opinions. Have a lovely day. Tonight I have tickets to an out door soul concert and I have invested in a camping chair. Life is good - it will be y this evening. 

f0xh0les

Oh I do love it when DH goes away! 

I have sorted out all the clothes aged 12 and under , bagged them all up and took them to the clothes recycling bin -3 sacks of them, so nearly a boot full. All gone and out of my house forever!

Then came home via the wading bird store, 39p Alpr0 full fat and semi skimmed this week, but mostly it was for glass bottles of iced tea for my muppets.  I do love a glass bottle!  filled my boot with step-gran tat that I have tried to 3bay but not managed, and a box of books, and a too small sleeping bag, a two handled mug, marble gravity maze game, a bucket and spade set  etc etc - all gone to the charity shop. Filed all the paperwork hanging around, and I feel so much freer now already!

Going to have a cold drink, and then start on the hoovering, now another 2 square metres of tat has left my house and I can see the awful living room carpet in its full hideous magnificence.