Weekly Flylady Thread 23 October 2023

Honey_Bear

Cloth of Gold - as far as I'm concerned everybody's welcome if they're responsible for keeping the family nest functioning.  As a former full time carer for my parents (father with terminal prostate cancer, mother with Parkinson's) I can honestly say it was absolutely the toughest, loneliest work I've ever done.  Does your local library have a boardgame-playing club? 

I hope your today is better than yesterday ASB.

Narco, it sounds as though it's time for you to ask for your friend's daughter's phone/contact details.

Mum to Many - what an incredibly frustrating day!  I've got a pile of stuff to go to the CS and Scrapstore that's been breeding in the corner of the dining room, not helped by the nearest CS not accepting clothes and shoes at the moment.

Yesterday was slow but productive.  Four manky bird feeders scrubbed and those that needed to be taken to bits first were, and then put back together afterwards, a job I dread.  They'll all go in the attic now they're clean until the rat problem has been fully dealt with.  In the meantime I'm putting one seed feeder out for an hour or so first thing in the morning and then bringing it in.  The rat man said that leaving bird feeders out overnight is akin to setting up a free burger van and cooking burgers until the customers stop coming.  Lesson learned.

Letting rooms both dusted.  Vacuuming can wait until nearer to the time they're going to be occupied.

Four of Belovéd's Christmas presents are now wrapped so I can stop worrying about him seeing them.  I also won a really good bottle of champagne in a raffle on Saturday so that needs a bag of its own.  Must dig in the wrapping box to see if we've still got any.  I find some in CSs sometimes.

It's sunny here so there's a load on the line, and I'm just about to add all the dusters that needed to be washed.  Quite a bit of dusting has happened here over the past couple of weeks and I'm running low. 

Doggie Day Care Pack packed with Wren's routine written out.  We're off to Bath tomorrow to see a play and it's such a mare to get there, by car or train, that it means an all day jaunt but that's not a bad thing as a friend of Belovéd's going back 50 years died yesterday and he needs not to dwell on it.  It will help when he can turn his phone off for a bit because of all the phone calls that are coming in from their mutual friends. 

Asparklierblonde

I have unloaded all of the animal feed from the car into the feed shed and decanted into the feed bins. V pleased with self as I loathe that job.

Rat bait stations topped up as well outside. Fish finger sandwich with a cuppa now, then back to paid stuff. 

I just love reading everyone's news throughout the day. I hope Round is having a good day especially. Love to all xx

Jazee

I've made an apple crumble.  Back to paid stuff soon.

flamingo747

Hi folks! I survived Disneyland (barely at times!)  I don't know I'll easily catch up, b  hope all are well. Today I'm just finishing laundry load number 2, one to go and all the drying

soappie

Mr T delivery all put away.
Porch swept and tidied and looking better than it has done for ages.
A bit of admin and bill paying occurred.
Living room tidied and floor swept.
Meatballs made and are chilling in the fridge until it's time to cook them.
Decluttered some bits and pieces from a cupboard in the kitchen which will be the new home for the baking trays/tins.
Am now about to light the fire and sit down with a cup of tea, the crossword and something trashy on TV.

Cloth_of_Gold

soappie said:

Cloth_of_Gold said:

Last year I searched online and found a professional oven cleaners because try as I might, I just couldn't get it properly clean. He wasn't very expensive and did a great job. It desperately needs doing again and I rang hi a few days ago and left a message but he hasn't come back to me.

The miser in me refuses to pay for someone to do something I can do myself! In these 'ere parts, it's a minimum £45 for the privilege. 

I know what you mean but there are two things I 'outsource': deep cleaning the oven and ironing my shirts (actually they wash them too, which I would happily do myself but it's cheaper per shirt if they do both rather than just iron them). The oven cost £55 last time I think and he did a really good job - far better than I could have done so it's worth it once a year. I used to do my shirts but I wear a fresh one every day and I'm 6ft 4 so they are quite big and it just became a job too far. I also get them to iron the duvet cover but any other ironing I do myself. You book online, choose 1 hour collection and drop-off slots and they do an excellent job. It really is worthwhile for me.

Cloth_of_Gold

Honey_Bear said:

Cloth of Gold - as far as I'm concerned everybody's welcome if they're responsible for keeping the family nest functioning.  As a former full time carer for my parents (father with terminal prostate cancer, mother with Parkinson's) I can honestly say it was absolutely the toughest, loneliest work I've ever done.  Does your local library have a boardgame-playing club? 

I hope your today is better than yesterday ASB.

Four of Belovéd's Christmas presents are now wrapped so I can stop worrying about him seeing them.  I also won a really good bottle of champagne in a raffle on Saturday so that needs a bag of its own.  Must dig in the wrapping box to see if we've still got any.  I find some in CSs sometimes.

It's sunny here so there's a load on the line, and I'm just about to add all the dusters that needed to be washed.  Quite a bit of dusting has happened here over the past couple of weeks and I'm running low. 

Doggie Day Care Pack packed with Wren's routine written out.  We're off to Bath tomorrow to see a play and it's such a mare to get there, by car or train, that it means an all day jaunt but that's not a bad thing as a friend of Belovéd's going back 50 years died yesterday and he needs not to dwell on it.  It will help when he can turn his phone off for a bit because of all the phone calls that are coming in from their mutual friends. 

I don't know about the library but I struggle to concentrate these days, plus I would be worried about covid if was in an enclosed space with others for an extended period and playing games with a mask on wouldn't be much fun I don't think. I'm fully vaccinated but did catch it in Feb and although I didn't have a serious case I was pretty rough for several days and I can ill afford to be out of action for long if it can be avoided.

You are well ahead with your Christmas present buying. I haven't even thought about it yet, although I saw a couple of things online a while ago that I though might buy later, it I can remember what they are lol. I don't buy for many people though so I can afford to leave it until later.

Winning that champagne was lucky - I wouldn't mind that sort of prize myself. I once won a day's use of a butler, which was of no use to me whatsoever. Sorry to hear about your DH's friend but hope you have a good time in Bath - what are you going to see?

soappie

Hi @Cloth_of_Gold

My oven was only so bad because I'd not bothered to do anything with it since last Christmas. It only installed about 20 months ago so it's not had time to accumulate too much grime. I think as long as I keep on top of it, it won't need outside intervention.

Now I've retired (only two weeks ago!) I am finding I have much more capacity to do such things because I'm not slaving away at a computer for 8 hours a day and then not bothering in the evening to do much because I'm too stressed and tired after the day's work and fretting with the knowledge of the issues I know I will face in the morning. Decluttering my employer from my life is  the best thing I could have done! (And yes, I did it wisely, I waited until I reached national pension age and have an index-linked workplace pension as well).

But, there was one thing about your reply that I don't understand. You said:

 "I also get them to iron the duvet cover"

 I have never heard of this "ironing a duvet cover" phenomenon....Could you please explain? 

roundtuit

Hallooooo xx 

Waving to asb because she made me smile when I snook in for a read this afternoon. Nice to know someone is thinking about me 😊.
Halfway through the week. It was very q-word to day until 2.30pm, then the phone went nuts. Not been given the training we were expecting yesterday, but at least I'm not expected to do the job until it's done. We were due a lull. I do hope it doesn't herald another storm. Heyho.
Not enough in the dustbin to make it worth putting out. I've changed into my scruffs,  unpacked my lunch bag, and had a coffee. Bit nippy so I might put the heating on. Tea and Mark Harmon next.

Love to all
Rxx

Cloth_of_Gold

pigpen said:

CoG ... honestly we don't care if you are a giraffe.. if you are here and flying you belong and are welcome. As a carer of children with disabilities.. I feel the pain. Are you registered at the GP surgery and with the council as a carer? And make sure you are on everybodies priority list.. energy, water etc. The council may also offer grants for you to have some self care.. I have no idea if you access any of these things already but.. just in case.

My front room is utterly trashed again.. I managed to get the DW loaded, letter posted and a teeny tiny shop done .. We needed cat litter..OH then cleaned the trays while I sorted dinner and pack ups.

Girls all in bed.. I am sending all 4 to school tomorrow.. I then have 2 off thursday and 3 off Friday and everyone off next week..

I can only imagine how difficult that must be for you PP. The GP sent me a text asking me if I was a carer but the link for responding didn't work. I think it was only to offer me the covid/and or flu vaccine though and I get those anyway. I didn't know you could register with the council as a carer. What sort of self-care grants might they offer?

Is it possible to do multi-quote on here? I don't want to spam the thread by posting separate replies to several people as I have been doing.

Thank you to everyone for your kind and welcoming words.

OK, today's tasks completed:

 - Went the supermarket and a couple of independents for a few things that I was missing for tomorrow. There wasn't enough time to walk there and back so I drove. 

 - Came back and made lunch for DH and washed up the lunch and breakfast dishes.

 Went to the hospital for a blood test. I have a long-term condition that doesn't affect me on a day-to-day basis but has to be monitored, as has the potential side effects of the medication I take for it. They also took my blood pressure, which is always really bad there but it was 148/105! I have my own machine and took it a few times recently and it was consistently about 130/85, which is a bit high but not disastrous. I go back on Monday for the results for the blood tests and there will doubtless be a difficult conversation about my bp as I don't think the consultant trusts my home readings.

 - took the car to be cleaned inside and out.  It hasn't been done for a while (partly because it's been wet most days so there didn't seem any point).

 - prepared and ate a very late lunch

 - Had a top-up vac for the sitting room and hall

 - Did three loads of washing; the drying is currently a wip.

 - replaced a supposedly long-life light bulb in the sitting room

 - went for a mile walk as I hadn't done enough steps.

Will start preparing supper soon and then wash up again, including the cutlery for tomorrow which DH has polished, get DH's breakfast things ready and then to bed - early I hope as I shall have a busy day tomorrow of course.