NST: November 2023 – Sparkle

Toni'sfriend

Thank you, Beanie. Hope you're Ok after the fall xx

PurpleJay

Hope everyone is doing ok. I have had a busy day painting. I have glossed 2 doors and a frame (annexe), done some cutting in from months ago (downstairs loo) that I have been putting off and did a bit if touching up in my office where I had done some filling. Very happy to have got it all out of the way. We have been sorting out the annexe room over the past few days for my son to use for art and also the treadmill will go in there which means it will no longer be in the dining room. Big bonus! DS wants a punchbag so that will also go in there so it will be the art room/gym. Hopefully it will encourage us both to exercise more if we have a dedicated space, 

i had a shopping delivery yesterday and have been meal planning for the week. I had hoped to batch cook today but got a bit carried away with the painting though I will still make a few bits. Off to walk the dog soon while there is still some light left. 

All in all it has been a lovely week off work. Sometimes you don’t have to do much, just getting a few jobs out of the way and generally  recharging is so good for us. Yesterday DS and I watched a film in the afternoon, something I rarely do - The Grand Budapest Hotel which I highly recommend. Beautifully filmed. We have almost finished season 3 of Ted Lasso too which is lovely feel good telly. 

I have been a bit snacky while off work so planning to reign that in a bit now. My mini habits  to work on this week are: drink 2 glasses of water a day and eat greens with lunch and dinner. Snacks to be fruit and veggies and one piece of dark chocolate per day.
 

weenancyinAmerica

@Toni'sfriend  - My mother loved Edinburgh. I have enjoyed each time I have been there, but I know what you mean about the cold. The coldest I have been in Great Britain was at Edinburgh Castle in June and I was wearing my long underwear underneath everything. It was only that cold once - but I still remember that day. I took the On-Off bus with my parents to make sure they saw the important things and to hear the stories. When I am there, I just walk around the main town. I loved the public library as it had an entire floor of Scottish history and another for doing family history. My favorite place to visit though if you haven't seen it is People's Story Museum on the Royal Mile. Have fun on your trip.

Toni'sfriend

Weenancy - New Register House is where they have all the records for births, deaths, marriage, census etc. Fascinating place. I've spent many a happy day there. I love Edinburgh as well even though I come from the rival city on the west coast. It's a great place just to wander. Two distinct halves. The old town with all the old closes and the new town with the beautiful Georgian terraces. Out hotel is  in the new town close to all the lovely shops, etc in George Street. Since my mobility isn't great at the moment we'll probably hang around there. We're very lucky we can get there in a couple of hours by public transport from where we live. We used to go on a regular basis but post COVID it hasn't been so often. xxx

f0xh0les

Today was indeed NSD3.  I had to stop DH from going out to buy more onions twice.  We can cope until tomorrow!  

apple_muncher

Hugs, beanie. Have a lie down on the chaise longue ❤️

beanielou

@Toni'sfriend. Try to fit in a wee visit to the National museum in Chambers Street.
It has a cafe for a wee sit down.
Also at the Botanics you can borrow a scooter to whizz around & there is a cafe!

ldee2111

I’m still on 1 NSD. I promised DS I’d teach him how to make sushi and then OH wanted in on the action so we bought some ingredients… Mr Spendy Pants added prawns and a jar of roasted peppers to the basket… and it was not just a basket, it was an M&S basket. 

DS and I went to another shop to find a gift for a school friend who’s having a birthday party later this month.

We had a nice day. DS gave the sushi a ten out of ten for the way it looked but only a five out of ten for taste. OH and I were quite impressed with ours. 🤣 Ended the day watching big fireworks displays out of the upstairs window.

Had a good Sunday sweep into savings from this week’s underspends. I got that extra £20 into the mortgage overpayment account. 👍🏻 I also opened an HSBC account to get the £125 bonus so that’s five weeks of those £20s and a leftover fiver for a wee treat. Thanks for the nudge on the bank bonuses @f0xh0les. 

Grateful today for a fantastic view of the fireworks across the skyline, for making good sushi rolls, for finding a nice gift for DS’s school friend, and for DS getting an invite to her party. 

Declutter 60 items:

1. storybook
2. electric fan
3. pair of holey socks
4. ceramic container
5. card reader
6. Jewellery box
7. Selfie stick
8. storybook
9. Passport holder

Thrifty_Taylor

Hugs @beanielou, I hope you're ok x
@Doris17 I recently read 'I Found You', it was very good with some suspensful twists!
Enjoy Edinburgh @Toni'sfriend.

Woke up at my usual weekday time, to shout DS1 for work. Did a Jo Wix workout, then after breakfast, walked to the community centre in the next parish, to listen to a talk in women's pelvic health. Very informative! Walked home, (had been offered a lift), & had dinner.Sering as I'd spent £1 at the talk, I ordered a couple if things from L4keland with free delivery & some sports bras from am4zon, cashed in balances at 2 cashback sites to pay for them.

Unpicked 3 zips & watched a dvd. I was going to.donate it, but DH wanted to keep it! Watched TV with DS1 & sewed more buttons on decorations. Collected DS3 after tea. More sewing done & made some soup for dinners this week.

Had a nice soak in the bath with a face mask & my book.

Grateful for a lovely day for walking, a good lecture, eating well today & 2 swans flying overhead, oh & seeing the northern lights from my garden

grandmanerd

Hugs beanie.

Saturday was a bit sparkle  free, I was snotty and snuffly again and my get up  and go went. Still not great yesterday but was determined to  get something done - 5 bags went to the bins, 3 of them filled by hunting things down including going round the garden picking up broken pegs and other bits.  DS3  and  Beloved had set the DW going and had put my washing in the TD. I wouldn't think of using the TD except in an emergency but just felt relief as I'm struggling to get on top of the washing and washing up mountains (exercise and housework both fell off during October).

Went through 'moving plans' with Beloved - DS3 had talked through some of it - apparently he was thinking of delaying until  March when his ISA matures (that's for his house buying fund not to mop up budgetary lapses).

I made a ready meal. Set  another load  of washing going and then came back upstairs to sew and watch my latest series. Struggled to get back downstairs but glad  I did. Using up ready meals has uncovered some things I bought on the last freezer order so did a bung it in the oven meal. tackled some of the leftover pots by hand whilst waiting. Brought the last of the dried washing upstairs with me the first time and a laundry basket filled with a cardi, a handbag, more toilet rolls +a bag with drinks, drained tinned peaches and some sewing I'd left downstairs in a separate bag.

More sewing and watching then reading. I'm trying 2 new to me authors and the first was a bit slow going but  I'm loving the second one - a Sherlock type detective with absolutely no affection for  people and a young female sidekick.

Sparkle gratitudes - getting things done, other people's fireworks (only one bang that made me jump), finding treasure in the freezer (defrosted some prawns and mean to get out some frozen berries - there's some ice cream in there too), lovely book and a 7 series drama that I'm only half way through (will probably last all this week).

I had a blood test booked for this morning but at 5 am I was ready to  chew my own arm off so cancelled it (lots of appointments available). Will try to get outside today, even if it's only to the library.