NST October 2023 A New Start

grandmanerd

A plodding day for me. Went outside early on and  collected two buckets full of chopped up nettles and gathered leaves + the bucket of brambles by the drain - i kept picking them up in the hem of my dress. Two buckets was enough - my breathing was ragged (I did chop off the next lot of tall nettles - this is mainly in next door but is in my way for getting to the bits I want to tackle).

I've been doing easy cooking - made toast and then used up the last tin of mum's corned beef with a microwaved pack of savoury rice. There was an in date tub of egg mayo in the fridge (it must have been lurking behind some other things, so I'll have that tomorrow on crisp bread. Had to throw an opened plain yoghurt and some milk (bbf August - that's definitely been buried under and behind lots of stuff). There were lots of jobs I couldn't do but I've pulled out some bits that were hiding (including my wellies) and identified some places I can stash things - big space under the bureau but need things that are short enough to fit as the sides are longer.

Some reading, some crafting, some sewing (until it got too dark), found some episodes of the second series of a show I watched a while ago. I've been clumsy over the past few days. I've mostly been drinking water but a nearly full bottle slid down behind me and dribbled mostly o the mattress but some papers got damp too. Tonight I will be sleeping sitting up to ease my chest and on a pile of towels between me and the wet (it's on one of the pillows too. Looking on the bright side it was fizzy water so it might help  with the stains I have to tackle (mainly coke).

Grateful for handy towels (brought a load of small ones which aren't much used for anything  - I think there may be 3 lots of mum's, peach (old), turquoise (newest) and grubby white (kitchen so often used in place of oven gloves and for mopping up children's spills - and when her partner poured tea into an imaginary saucer on the floor for an imaginary dog). Grateful for my bed even if it is messy and in need of love and attention. Digging myself out of the pit of despair and finding a few solutions (or possible solutions that other people may have to be cajoled or dragged kicking and screaming into).

beanielou

I don't know how you do it @grandmanerd!

Thrifty_Taylor

Some inspiring posts that have resonated with me over the weekend @grandmanerd, thank you. Hope you get a good sleep & feel better tomorrow. Welcome back @ldee2111, glad you've had a good time away, & hope you do as well @lcc86.

Typed a post last night, then lost it when DS3 phoned! Oh well...

NSD#8 on Friday. Felt very low & couldn't stop crying. Still managed to sew &  took myself off to bed after tea with my book. Had a power cut for half an hour, so closed my eyes a few minutes.

Saturday, took DS3 with me to town. Picked mum up & did the food shop. Was pleasantly surprised how stocked up L1DL was, after having no boats for 2 days, T0sco not so well. Spent the afternoon with one of my oldest friends. Had Wool Club & had a good catch up. She's been feeling similar to me & we're wondering if it's menopausal symptoms. Felt better after seeing her. Lots of water on the roads when driving home, very nearly crashed into some cars coming the other way.  DS1 feeling low, so messaged him til he'd used up all his daily international allowance. DS3 phoned to say that the bus only took him back to town (from over the Churchill Barriers, which had been closed & opened to traffic constantly all day), the driver wouldn't continue with the other half of the journey as there were no boats due in & DS was the only passenger. So I had to drive in to collect him at 11pm! Thankfully a lot of the water had drained away, apart from in one area.

NSD#9
Had a lie in. DS1 had found WiFi somewhere, do had sent me some photos from his trip so far, so was nice to see his face. 
Replaced a coat zip, then did more sewing for craft fayres. Went for a walk with DH, but could only go part of our route due to a flooded stream. Did more sewing when we got home.
Had a lovely soak in the bath & pampered myself a bit. Feel more positive today 😊

Grateful for DS3 making an Italian friend, the photos he sent me this morning, that DS3 got back to town last night & we got home safely, for good friends, feeling better, good books, the storm receding finally

apple_muncher

Grandmanerd, I've been doing the resting bit this last week, and definitely was not rushing to the gym. Ive had a lingering bad cold with litres of snot, but am on the mend now. I'll probably need another quiet week to rid myself of it fully and start feeling more normal again.

Today I am grateful for spending some time with some fab people, for dc calling me when they needed me (usually, logical thought is impossible when they are in the middle of a meltdown), for easy food, for my mini needlefelted rabbits and cats, for my microwaveable polar bear (that comes up on autosuggestion now, I've used it so often 🤣)

beanielou

@Thrifty_Taylor.  So sorry that you have been feeling low.
You do have so much on your plate & I don't know how you keep all the plates spinning. 
Take care of you xxx

weenancyinAmerica

@grandmanerd - I understand the wet dishrag feeling. I told my roommate that I couldn't go on living this way. Her stuff is all over the house taking up all the room and making it hard for me to get around. It goes soon or I will have to sell my house and move somewhere smaller where it is only me. I have 4 and a half roommates at the moment and none of them are of much help around here (the half is a girlfriend of one of the roommates who is here several days a week). I am ready to just give up. It is sometimes hard to find 5 things to be thankful for. I just keep plodding along - but I am losing the plot.

grandmanerd

Hugs thrifty and weenancy

Monday 23rd  October 2023
I was  most of the way through a post of affirmations (I'm not great with them but some made me smile and the odd one felt doable) when my keypad stuck and I accidentally lost  the post (lost MSE and had to tunnel my way back in ).

But hey new day, a new week and a new attitude.
I can't do much but will do what I can

I will clear this space one square foot at a time (and have a little lie down when I need to

Found out DS3 forgot to put the bins out last week - thought he'd brought them back early, before they'd been collected, so will flatten some boxes and store them behind the bureau until I have bin space (I went round collecting as much as possible)

Will commence toddler training with the two 33 year olds

I will write lists

I will be grateful for what I have and find some way to make my life as it is now work

Passive agressive techniques
Will gather up their possessions that are in my part of the house (common parts), bag and label them and put them in their room.

Put labels on things asking what is to happen with them - the exercise bike has been in my living room ever since DS3 put it together (it stayed in the box for over a year). It is only used to hold the bag for empty cans - otherwise DS3 drops them on the floor.

Will go ahead with my plan to box up their kitchen equipment (it needs separating if they are  ever to leave the house).

Make my appointments - I was trying for one a week but even that has been impossible some weeks.  I need to make more effort to socialise.

Deal  with my own stuff first

Encourage them to whittle down their own possessions

Grateful for having a house (1 1/2 houses), some money in the bank, easy food options, for all  the bits I managed to do last week and over the month.

Toni'sfriend

I like your plan, Grandmanerd. My home badly needs redecorating, etc but every cupboard and drawer if full to the gunwales with things belonging to Himself and the Boy. A whole cupboard full of games consoles and paraphernalia, hundreds of books, thousands of CDs/DVDs. Furniture needing replaced. I can't do it myself. I need help. But the first thing is to try and get rid of what is not needed as far as possible. So, yes. Little bit at a time. It is difficult when other people don't see how their mess is impacting on your life. It really gets you down. You're resourceful. You'll get there. xxx

f0xh0les

@grandmanerd is the plan when Great -Grandma nerd's house sells for you to give DS3 and Beloved the deposit to move out and start Adulting?   Or are they " looking" for somewhere with their own deposit and you are going to contribute?  Just wondering how it is all going to work and how you will work it with DS1 and DS2.   
Just thinking about how I can encourage my DS1 and DS2 to get with the program cos I am feeling like the worst Mother ever with my two perfectly content to sit on their Harris for the foreseeable future and let me feed and clothe them until they are 40.  They baffle me. So just looking for inspiration really.  
Right, going to have a cup of tea and then start moaning at them again 😅😁

Edited to add
Got rid of 2 games consoles, games, a roll of wallpaper and 2 phones this weekend. Nurseries want old phones for imaginative play ( take the battery out) . Olio is a good app, Freecycle is good too, as  are the Waste-not local sites - and people come to you to pick stuff up. 

Toni'sfriend

Well, as per my earlier post, the doing little bits is paying off already. I can see a difference already in just doing a little bit as I go along. A little swipe and wipe. A little dump that in the bin  -  it's not needed. Put that back where it belongs rather that just leaving it in a random place. Not sure I can totally convert Himself to my new regime though.

I was up at seven this morning. Thai curry in slow cooker, fish pie made for tomorrow, washing done, recycling out.  Doesn't really take long really.

Taxi ordered for hospital appointment tomorrow. Taxi frim are great for giving advice about timings to get here in time.

Got a message from my brother's partner in Canada to see how I was. Only met the lady once. Such kindness.

Been a really good, positive day today. What more can you ask for. xxxx