NST: November 2023 – Sparkle

f0xh0les

NSD 14 but not by choice.  Waited in for those damned elusive Scaffolders, who turned out to be invisible and unconvincing liars (shoddy excuses).   So got nothing done at all except two bowls of washing up - could not hoover in case I missed their knock/ring.

Went online to buy some postcards for competition entries, got an offer of a free £5 if I registered a debit card, so did that, and then got offered a free 30 day  Pr1me membership, so took that up, and my purchase only came to £2 so bought 2 lots, and now I still have £1 credit left  and free delivery tomorrow.  So no physical £s spent.

Still waiting on my free £150 switch bribe from Tee Ess Bee, starting to wonder if I have fulfilled all the rules for it, lots of people have been paid out this week already. 

Thrifty_Taylor

Get well soon @lcc86. You're a good friend @weenancyinAmerica, your roommates are lucky to have you. Sorry your builders never turned up again @f0xh0les, hope they do tomorrow 🤞

NSD#10
Woke up after an early awakening by DS2, who's turned night into day, then a very weird dream! Did yoga before breakfast. Quickly put a few more items of summer clothing into the box with the rest, in the shed & took out a black bag, an overstuffed carrier bag & a tiny rucksack, then dropped them off with a lady up the road, who collects for CS.

Work went fine. Had tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks at lunchtime, when showing the office staff a video of a man attempting to eat some Swedish fermented fish. One woman kept retching, I thought she was pretending but she very nearly vomited on the floor, even after I stopped the video early! 🤣😂🤣 Oops!

Played games on my phone once home. After tea I unpicked & replaced a coat pocket zip. Had s nice soak in the bath with my book.

Grateful for laughter, work bestie taking a bag of sewing to my drop off point, good music to sing along to

wishus

Logged another NSD yesterday. 
I won some 'free' tickets that would have meant an actual spend on accommodation right now,  just as we're about to spend thousands on fixing the electrics. My husband and I sat down to look at the finances trying to work out if we could do it, as we also have to consider his lack of free holiday days too. We concluded no.

...then realised we would have double booked anyway as a rescheduled gig was going to take place at the same time. Lucky!

I got to the office today and realized I had left my porridge at home.😭
But then, there was a pile of free fruit we could pick from. Lucky!
Just had a banana. ☺️
Saves spending on a breakfast. 

I've had two days of cooking from Jamie Oliver £1 Wonders. Both pretty successful. Before Monday I had never made filled pasta from scratch. Portion size was a bit small, so I'm concluding Gennaro Contaldo just guesses, but wow and yum. Last night I made Jamie's crispy pork and broccoli with noodles. It took me three goes at getting the noodles right but it was worth it. I had mistakenly got honey roasted peanuts for the topping, but, hey, they worked. Tonight doing a Bolognese. I realise I probably have too many of pasta things this week so might switch up Bolognese sauce with spaghetti to mash.

Toni'sfriend

Yesterday was very productive. Got lots of things done and the Boy popped in to see me unexpectedly. He had a meeting in the office in the city and was feeling very guilty that he hadn't come over sooner. I told him not to worry so long as he phones and texts to let me know how he and the lovely GF are doing it's fine. 

Today has been a little less productive. Bathroom light which was installed by council has conked out. Apparently it only needs the bulb replacing but the shade is stuck fast. I can't move it and anyway it's a two man job. Not their problem apparently. I'll see if I can get a neighbour to help. And the kitchen tap is dripping and I am not capable of fixing that either. The lady I spoke to said she would get a plumber out today as she didn't want all my hot water running away. No sign so far and it's getting on a bit for council workmen now. I'm not so bothered about that because I thought it was nice of her to treat it as an emergency when I'm sure there are people in greater need.

It's been a good day nevertheless. Himself if much, much better and eating. Curry in the slow cooker for dinner.

Watching Indianna Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. What could be better apart from the Last Crusade. xxxx

f0xh0les

I am a bad person who tells lies...but it means the scaffold is going up as I type, and if I hadn't played the 'I can't take any more time off work to wait in for you' card, I doubt they would be here at all.  Even if they did forget the ladder.. which will arrive tomorrow morning (allegedly). 
NSD 15.  Not going to get my switch bonus from TBS  ( oh, we stopped doing the bonus for 6 days, and that was when your account opened -  they told me this morning....grrr! ) so started my WideNation switch this morning and that will complete on 6/12 and the money bribe goes in 10 days later.  £200 before C-Word. 

beanielou

Needs must @f0xh0les

lcc86

@f0xh0les might be worth a cheeky complaint, I had similar with another bank switch and they gave me half the money as a gesture of goodwill. Depends on the level of hassle though!

NSD 10 today, I felt well enough to wfh so caught up with a bunch of admin. Am getting highly, highly frustrated with other departments and it's definitely having an impact on my morale, but not sure what can be done about it.

Other than that I did a few minor jobs and did some batch cooking of lunches and dinners during my lunch break so less pressure to cook every evening!

weenancyinAmerica

Yesterday ended up being NSD12 - not on purpose. I fully intended to go shopping after we went to the library but by the time I had moved books off of 5 carts onto other carts or our sorting tables (for the Friends of the Library), i was too knackered to do anything else. So we went directly home instead and I worked on genealogy. Had a breakthrough on a friend's Czech genealogy and took her family back two more generations there. It doesn't have to be my line to get me excited about it. Have worked as a professional genealogist since 1974. It never gets old for me because I can try out new things all the time. Big changes since I first started - from literally paper and pencil with no photocopies to instant copies on the computer. I am still amazed.

Today I will be visiting my cardiologist. And I renewed my prescriptions.

Have a couple of frogs to take care of today. And I need to go get some things at the store today though not for dinner for Thanksgiving as we are all set there. Will try to make it after the cardio appointment. Trying to help roommate Di take care of a couple of her frogs too. Rolls eyes on these. should have been done months ago. Oh well, no time like the present.

Windy and hot today (27C). Hard to get in the Christmas spirit when it is too warm. Would have trouble if I lived in Australia - but I guess you get used to it. Have had a number of branches come down off of our trees. 

Took a box of food to the neighbors. And went to church to unlock the gate for the couple that work with us in the FamilySearch Center. It seems to be kept padlocked when school not in session. The school is across the street and belongs to the city - but we share parking lots when needed. 

Gratitudes: being able to share food with the neighbors; hugging the dog, having the computer to do family history, having a printer to make the copies, being here still.

grandmanerd

Coughed until my lungs and stomach ached so decided I would not be going to collect forms from the doctor's.  got dressed slowly and made my way downstairs (DS3 was complaining that I had not 'done' the yard).  Did what I could bit by bit, gathered all the bed frame pieces in one place and put out the old bureau/ bookcase (fell into several pieces as I got it in place.

The only thing left (4' wide path about 18-19'  long and wider where there is a 'patio' area) was a large plastic bin (possibly 100 l)  3/4 full of soil and rainwater on top. Asked DS3 if he could move it or tip it on it's side - he got rid of the water but the bin broke and it was still part blocking the gate.  I sat shovelling soil out into assorted buckets and then a second attempt at rolling it and then wedging it with a couple of cobbles to keep it in place succeeded.

DS3 went to wrangle with the wardrobe. Unfortunately it came down one step too many (if you can keep it on the next to bottom step there is enough room to manoeuvre it  round the corner) so lots of juggling (and a few injuries). He got  it across the kitchen but needed me to hold one end in place whilst he pulled the wheels over the step. I needed the toilet but promised to go back.  He had done it by then - he let it fall into the yard then tumbled it over and outside. He said he couldn't do the second wardrobe but one out is better than none. I also ate a RM, put a load of washing on and brought food and drinks back upstairs with me.

I came back upstairs to unscrew the headboard but it's still waiting (my knees hurt). Had a long shower as I had mud everywhere from my knees to my feet (even the bit inside my trainers). Trainers and insoles were wiped clean too. Started on a small piece of undemanding sewing whilst watching an old police series that  I've never seen.  

Grateful for things leaving the house, for DS3 doing his thing with wardrobes, for the path being fairly clear (still needs scrubbing and weeding).

f0xh0les

Even a slow roll is forward momentum @grandmanerd. Well done on getting the one wardrobe outside, if the other one goes out tomorrow and the headboard on Friday then it will all be done before the weekend. Take it one item at a time, and don't forget to enjoy saying goodbye to it.  You inherited some of it I know, and didn't want half of it, so shuck it off and feel lighter and freer.
It is your house, to fill with your stuff, that you choose, and you like, to make your life easier for you.  
Can you tell I am winding myself up to address DHs hoarding tendencies again?  Honestly there is not one corner of any room that is not home to a puddle of his craft materials, or papers, or bits of electricals he has gutted, or notes for the next paper, or coats!!! I have put up two coat racks and bought him a huge wardrobe.  And he brought the ironing board through three rooms into the living room ten days ago and has covered that in his carp as well.
It is a good job he looks cute naked.