Slow Living - Doing It Old Style!

leftatthetrafficlights

@Teaparty_mum - I'm glad you're feeling a bit better 😁 I know exactly how you feel about sorting the house - I can't cope when mine isn't clean and tidy, I feel totally off kilter and can't stop thinking about it! 🙄 my dh thinks I'm insane but we have very different standards - his 'okay' is my 'horrendous' 😂 I do all our cleaning - he offers to help but I'd just need to re-do it anyway! 🤦‍♀️😂 

The weather isn't looking great for my day with the grandbabies today 🙄 the venue we're attending is mainly an outside event so it's definitely going to be a wellies and raincoat day! I'm still looking forward to it though - thankfully kids don't care much about the weather so it should still be fun 😁 

I'm planning on having a quiet time when I get back- I should be home by mid afternoon and we've got leftovers so all I need to do is cook a spaghetti squash and some potatoes - I'm planning an early night tonight too 😁 

Chamomile tea is calling- have a fab slow day! 😁🐌

leftatthetrafficlights

Had a lovely day yesterday and despite the dodgy start the weather was kind 😁 it was a very expensive outing by the time I'd paid for tickets and lunch but absolutely worth it for the fun the grandbabies had 😍 

Today I'm having a 'decompression' day - several hours with lots of people and kids having fun has taken it out of me; I'm really not a social animal at all and need time to recover after days out or events! 🤦‍♀️ I'm having a very simple dinner of ethiopian lentils and rice tonight- takes around 25 minutes in total for prep and cooking so it's ideal for a quiet day 😁 

I'm having a quiet week for the rest of the week too - I don't have my grandbaby for sleepovers on school holidays and my dog walking duties are not required this week as he's going away too so four days of peace and tranquility 🙌 

Hope you have a fab slow day! 😁🐌

Brie

had a lovely chatter with 2 old (me being the youngest at 67&10/12) work colleagues yesterday afternoon.  they had been going very slowly into retirement from the debt advice team at the food bank when I took it over 3+ years back and I haven't seen them since I retired in the spring.  They were extremely supportive of me when I was learning the ropes and were able to provide random cover for holidays etc.  One very sensible and one very social so they made a good team and worked like a well oiled double act.  And very interesting individuals too which is always a great boost.  

today is extra slow, one load of laundry on the line as the sun is shining and there's a nice breeze.  jeans etc should dry fairly quickly.  But in a bit we're off to buy a new rug for the lounge.  We bought one too cheap a few years back and it's shedded fluff has clogging the hoover ever since.  

Teaparty_mum

Waving hello,

Im glad that I straighten the house last night as I didn’t sleep at all so at least the house can wait until tomorrow. I do hope everyone is okay xx

leftatthetrafficlights

@Brie - I'm glad you had a nice chat with your old work colleagues and hope you enjoyed your extra slow day! 😁 Did you find a rug? 

@Teaparty_mum - sorry you're not sleeping 😔 hopefully last night was a better one 🤞 

Yesterday I had a lovely slow day - reading, listening to meditation music and planning my kitchen re-sort 😁 We had a casserole for dinner which was just the ticket with the weather being a bit grim - it was delicious and used up more of my stocks from the cupboard and freezer along with one of my mountains of spaghetti squash! Leftovers with broccoli from the freezer tonight 😋 



Today I have done an ambient food inventory and rearranged all my kitchen cupboards- I'm pretty tired now but really glad its done. I'm starting my new vegan storecupboard challenge on 7th November (my new year) but will be much more focused on using stuff up - I've been a bit lax on it previously, using some stuff like pulses and grains but pretty much ignoring everything else! 🤦‍♀️ I want to make sure that I get through most of my storecupboard this forthcoming year - the more I can save on groceries the better!! 😁 Tomorrow I'll do the freezer inventory so that everything is ready for my new thread 😉 

Anyway, time for a chamomile tea and an hour or so of trash tv - hopefully I'll get a bit of a snooze too! 😁

Have a fab slow day! 😁🐌

Brie

Yes a rug was found!!  Not being a shopper I was rather dreading being dragged around the shops so decided to take control by seeing what might be available at John Lewis.  I mean there's lots of carpet shops around but very few places that sell rugs of a decent size and we needed quite a large one.  OH was pleased I'd taken any effort and so was happy to chug along to the local very small JL a few miles from us. 

Net result we got this.....John Lewis Bold Blanket Rug, Multi, L240 x W170cm

Plus I spotted a new kitchen door matt they had with a nice floral design for a delightful £9 ish. John Lewis Sissing Floral Coir Door Mat

Out tonight with internet friends - one of whom doesn't live in the area and so I think I've only met twice in the 15 years I've "known" her.  The other lives nearby so we see each other every couple of months.  OH's are coming along for their entertainment value.  

Wish I had a mountain of squash of any sort....my garden was useless!!! (or I'm a useless gardener...)

leftatthetrafficlights

Love the rug @Brie!! 😁 lovely colours! I'm not a shopper either - can't think of much I'd rather do less so I'm impressed with your strategy 😉😁 I hope you had a lovely time with your Internet friends 🥳 

Squash and tomatoes were the only real successes in the garden this year - all my winter staples (sprouting broccoli, kale, brussel sprouts etc) had to be pulled out due to infestation and bolting so I'm really disappointed that I'll end up having to buy winter veg this year 🤦‍♀️ however, at least I could eat spaghetti squash daily until next year without a problem!! 😂 

Yesterday I did the ambient storecupboard inventory and rejigged the kitchen cupboards - did a tour for dh when he came in last night then opened the wrong cupboard this morning when making my drink!! 🙄😂 I think it will take a while before we're used to the new layout 🤔 I'm doing the freezer inventory today - not looking forward to thd cold hands but need to get it done so I'll be brave!! 😳 

We're having a quiet weekend - my son and grandbabies are over for a couple of hours tomorrow but other than that we have no real plans which is nice 😁 I will start to put a meal plan together based on the inventories though - I'm starting a new storecupboard thread on 7th November (my new year) so want to be a bit organised for that 😉 

Right, time for another drink (if I can find the right cupboard!! 😂) - have a fab slow day!! 😁🐌

Teaparty_mum

@leftatthelights thank you, last night I took some medication from the doctors but woke myself up by scratching !! Think it was the shower gel I used so been up since midnight !! The housework was done by 5am and dog walked, just waiting for someone to look at the broadband..

I re jigged the pantry the other day so must be something in the air 😂

During the summer I was cooking from scratch which I loved then with a fibromyalgia flare up and then having my injections I stopped doing it but recently I started to miss doing it so I think that I’ll give that a go again, it’s just so frustrating that I can’t do stuff anymore like I used to do like peeling potatoes with a knife, carrying saucepans to the sink to drain the water and even mashing potatoes.. stupid things that we do without thinking.. but never mind 

The only thing I have to say that whatever I cook never looks like the photo 🙄🫣

 I hope everyone is okay xc

leftatthetrafficlights

@Teaparty_mum - oh no!!! 😔 I hope the itching has stopped now and you had a better night's sleep 😴 its a shame you're limited on what you can physically do in the kitchen but hopefully you'll enjoy doing what you can do - you might even invent some new meals that are easier to prepare! 🤞😁 

I completed the freezer inventories - suffice to say that we have a lot of UPF'S that I bought while there was a good offer on at the supermarket 🙄🤦‍♀️ they will be used very sparingly (and mainly by dh) though so I'm not concerned 😉 

Tomorrow I'm going to start my menu planning- my visitors stayed longer than expected and by the time I'd cleaned and started reading I lost track of time 😂 it will be easier tomorrow when I'm more in the mood for it anyway!

Tonight I'm just going to relax - we had leftovers for dinner so no cooking was required; I'll just need to make sure I put some beans in to soak 😁 

Hope you have a lovely slow evening! 😁🐌

London_1

Good morning everyone, well I'm definitely a 'slower downer'

Since moving last year and sharing a house with my youngest DD and son-in-law life has changed considerably , for the better I think. They have two loony dogs a rescue greyhound called Stan and a hyperactive rescue Westie called Ted.

The move worked out very well for us and we converted the large integral garage to a spare sitting room for me plus a downstairs loo and spare shower room.

Upstairs I have the larger en suite bedroom which is south facing at the back of the house and overlooks the garden and is gorgeous as I watch the sunrise in the summer.

I make my own breakfast and lunch, but the evening dinner my DD or son-in-law makes, and DD also whips round as she does the cleaning, and I will put the washing on and hang out if the weather is OK.

We all get along very well and I have my own space to watch tv or knit or read in my own sitting room, and we don't get under each others feet

DD or son-in-law gets the shopping and I buy the odds and ends Usually the cleaning materials. Its worked well for us all and DD and I both like pottering in the garden (son-in-law does the BBQ) We all have out own independence but they are there if I need them

Living here on the IoW its a slower pace of life anyway, the scenery is lovely and I'm only 10 minutes from a lovely sandy beach which has two coffee shops on it .I enjoy just having a stroll down there for a coffee and sitting watching the ships coming down past on their way to exotic spots.

Its probably the best move I've made, and we go back to the mainland roughly every 6 months to visit family My grandsons visit often, and we have four of them coming for Christmas, plus possibly assorted girlfriends so the house will be full. My daughter gave up work and now has so many hobbies and things to do she would find it hard to go back to work I think
My son-in-law still works full time though, but he too enjoys living here and this morning they are both going swimming which they never had time to do when both working on the mainland

I have a busy, if slightly slower pace of life I go to a U3A games afternoon on a Monday and play Cribbage, Tuesdays its usually a coffee morning somewhere, Wednesdays its Knit and Natter with a group in Ryde then I do a bit of shopping for any odds and ends

This week I had a U3A meeting on Thursday at Arreton which was interesting.Then on Friday I went out to lunch with some friends to a converted Bus in Branstone called The Bus Stop Cafe which was great as the frienship group who organised it had over 20 people turn up

 Theres always lots of things to do, Next week I know for sure I have at least two trips out plus I think a Christmas fete to go to.

I had a lady give me a big bag of Bramleys from her tree, and yesterday I spent peeling about a dozen or so and I'll make the crumble topping to go on it shortly and it will be pudding for tonight.I have also made with the remainder some apple turnovers 

I'm trying to work down the second freezer of left over portions so there will be room for Christmas bits that get left over, plus the supermarkets veggies that they all vie in price to get you through the door.

Life is a lot slower, but living here people still stop and talk to you, and Ryde has lots of small independant shops to potter around in. Even if I get the bus into Ryde from where I live the bus drivers say good morning and soon get to know you. 

I've still been decluttering bits and pieces that I brought over when we moved and if its not been used or touched in 6 months then its going to go to either a charity shop or I'll find a home for it

 I had a pile of photo frames I didn't use , and took them to knit and natter and said if anyone wanted them they could help themselves.
 One lady took some of the smaller ones as she does cross stitch pictures, and an other lady said oh yes please as her daughter was into art and painting so she wanted the bigger ones for frameing.

In our Knit and Natter group if someone has something they don't need, its put on the table, and you can take your  pick ,anything left gets donated to the charity shop across the road  So it either gets rehomed or the CS gets it win-win  

Right well enough blethering, time for another cuppa I think, the washing machine has probably finished, so I'll get the wash on the line for a blow, as there is no rain forecast until tomorrow .

Cheers chums JackieO xx