NST January 2024: This is Sparta!

Thrifty_Taylor

Sending hugs & keeping fingers, toes & eyes crossed for you both tomorrow @ditty1234 & @DawnW brother.

Reading in bed, @beanielou, pure bliss 😍

@f0xh0les bet the neighbours are used to your antics & chasing men out of your house/garden. Pity you didn't have a broom in your hand to give em a whack or trip em up with! Good you stopped them from taking what's not theirs to take. Sounds like all your renovating is coming on in keaos & bounds 😃 enjoy! Good luck with paid work this week.

A slight breeze this morning, so hung washing on the line, dropped a card & small bottle of fizz at my friend's to celebrate walking out on her husband 10 years ago today. Nearly ran the b*** over, pulling up to her house, as he was walking his dogs past!

Took DS1's car to the garage in the next village for its MOT, then me & DH walked the 6.3 miles home. Still clumps of snow in sheltered areas & ice in the large 'puddles' in the fields.

Ate my dinner & read my book. Messaged a friend who is struggling just now. She offered us some firewood, as she's moving house. Collected DS3 from his bus in the next village & dropped friend a little gift off, with a hug. She then came over with s friend & delivered the wood 😃 heavy rain & stronger wind by then though! Forecast 85mph tonight, so will see if school is open tomorrow & the buses for DS3 are running. 

DS1 is currently on his first flight home. Can't wait to see him! I made an Orkney Fudge Cheesecake, ready to welcome him back (didn't get chance to make over the festive season & had lots of other goodies on the go!)

Grateful for DH making room in the fridge for the cheesecake, finally finding the owner of the coat I replaced the zip in last week, free firewood, a lovely long walk & my bath which I'm just heading into!

NSD#11

Sleep well lovelies. Hope you have no storm damage in the morning 🤞

ladybird1106

Sending positive vibes and hugs to those that need it. 
No money spent today. 
Love🐞

wishus

Just updated my budget... Underspent in some pots and over in others. It works out I'm still under, even though groceries is over the limit now. 

Got in a bit late after shopping and by the time I'd zipped round tidying OH was hangry so instead of him cooking, we ordered a Chinese. His own fault for not bringing his work clothes down to wash, or chipping in apart from building a fire - which I'm up to monitor till it dies down fully. He thinks it is fine to put a fire on and go to bed. It's not even that cold tonight, despite the wind. I have to wait for the dryer anyway. I can get some reading done.

I'm taking a day tomorrow for a few appointments, too, so that's okay. 

Flying_By

Felt quite down today having had 2 phone calls from step-mum who is still in hospital.  Yesterday evening at around 8 she rang to ask if I knew she was in hospital and could I go and get her out.  I carefully explained she had to stay there until her hip mended and that the doctors and nurses wouldn't let me take her home.  She then asked if my brother could go and get her ......  Then another call from her mobile at 2 this morning where I could hear one of the staff telling her she shouldn't be ringing people at that time of night. I rang the ward later in the morning to ask if her UTI might have returned and was told that they'd taken a sample but probably the fact she hadn't slept since she'd been admitted was causing her confusion - all news to me - with other staff I'd spoken to telling me she had been sleeping.  She's apparently been having sleeping tablets for the past few nights but they don't seem to be helping. It seems her fall and the stay in hospital has affected her cognition and I feel very sad and sorry for a truly old-fashioned lady who always liked things done her way and just so. Internally she must feel so frustrated because nothing now is under her control.  Hoping to see her Tuesday and deliver some new slippers and bed socks to her.
 
Gratitudes for today:
1  Managed to attack the low-hanging fruit in the kitchen and dining room today, my sink and draining board are            shiny and my worktops hygienic again!
2  More washing ironed and put away and have started shredding a huge pile of unwanted paperwork
3   Succeeding it cleaning out the drain hole in our fridge

Sending love and positive thoughts to those Turtles who have a busy week ahead with medical appointments.
Big hugs to you all xxxx

wishus

Just realised I sounded so grumpy. The fire is down to embers. I'm grateful for snuggly clothes, toasty fires and good books. ☺️

Esmeralda2662

Hugs and best wishes to all that need them. Hoping that all goes well.

@Thrifty_Taylor - Orkney Fudge Cheesecake. Sounds delicious snd conjures up a lovely picture in my head. What a welcome home for DS1!

Went to free recycling craft class with my friend. I made Veggy lunch and she drove. We were making pictures using second-hand buttons and beads. Time flew and we had great fun. Felt more tired after that than working. Friend bought over beautiful bunch of flowers and chunky double choc chip cookies. Yum.

Bought some oat milk and frozen peas from local co. shop. Supposed to get discounted membership card prices but didn't. It's was only 95p but means I need to go down tomorrow after work and try to get it back. Hate doing this as shop is always so busy and some people think 95p is wasn't bothering over.

Have decided I don't have time to declutter properly In time for my German friend and her son to stay. Am boxing books and belongings into crates in the garage to declutter after they leave. I realise I bought a second-hand Russian sugar bowl to match her tea set but think I may have accidentally sent it, and possibly some other treasures, to another charity shop. Eek. Either that or it's  in a very safe place which i can't find.

Need to go back to A&E this week about the big glass fibre splinter in my finger as it still won't heal. There must be something in there even though nothing showed on x-ray last time.

My son has braced the 2 kitchen drawers he took home to mend and will return them this week. Looking forward to the kitchen looking better and working properly.

Thinking of booking some holiday for later in the year. Don't get much holiday allowance as I'm only part time but really feel like I need a change of scene.

Grateful for a nice time crafting, the thought of Orkney Fudge Cheesecake and borrowing free crates from work to store my clutter in until my friends have visited in Feb. X

Starlight_at_Sea

Sending positive vibes & strength and wishes for a smooth journey and good clinicians to all those who have or are supporting appointments tomorrow. We are here cheering you on. 

I am taking my cousin-BFF into hospital tomorrow, but for a straightforward minor op, so it looks to be much less taxing than others are facing. Our logistics are a bit complicated and are made trickier by the storm, so I will be up very early for me to check on the local roads Facebook page which seems to be the best source of storm/flood related intelligence around here. I'm really glad to have this person by my side in life, we do a lot of the tough things together, she even came and stayed the nights with me in the hospice when my mum was dying. It's nice to be able to help her out for a change. 

I had the peaksave cheaper electricity period today, and used it as a chance to have the heating on and the oven. I baked and baked and baked! pineapple upside down cake, banana bread, mushroom & lentil wellington, veggie sausage rolls, baked potatoes etc etc. I did enough of each (bar the sausage rolls which were using up the scraps of puff pastry) to share between 4 houses - mine (the freezer), dad's, BFFs, and my family home where I currently have a lodger and a 🇺🇦 girl living. It's in the same town as the hospital so I can drop them a few home made goodies off while I am waiting.  Hopefully this might temper the fact I've ended my subscription to netflix now that 🇺🇦 girl is comfortably working, she can cover that herself, and I need to be watching less online. There's a week before the subscription ends so while I was baking I binged a fair bit of Fool Me Once and I might disappear into my phone on evenings this week!

Have made a list to make use of time in the big town, though everything is flexible depending on the situation at the hospital. I thought it best to be prepared as I am not great at thinking on my feet just now. 

Balance transfer has finalised, that's now all of the debt that's not mortgage on 0% for a while. It's a huge relief and the next step now is to tackle these before they expire.  If anyone out there is prevaricating as long as I did about this, just do it, it's very easy if you take the emotion of realising your debt is real out of it. 

Congrats @apple_muncher on a tidy house, but also as a birthday is an important milestone and memory for the parents too. My DDs birthday is almost half a year away from mine, and now she is usually abroad for it, I've started to use the day as a chance to treat myself a bit. I did have something to do with helping her navigate all the years, after all!   

Night everyone. I hope your rooves stay on and your routes are clear in the morning! 

ditty1234

Hi all health scare seems to be downgraded to asthma related for now. But there is still a camera inspection of lungs  awaiting later on the week. 
Grateful for super responsive NHS 

beanielou

ditty1234 said:

Hi all health scare seems to be downgraded to asthma related for now. But there is still a camera inspection of lungs  awaiting later on the week. 
Grateful for super responsive NHS 

Positive news. 

Toni'sfriend

ditty1234 said:

Hi all health scare seems to be downgraded to asthma related for now. But there is still a camera inspection of lungs  awaiting later on the week. 
Grateful for super responsive NHS 

So pleased the hear that, Ditty. Maybe all that's needed is a change in medication. But checking the lungs just to be on the safe side is sensible. Fingers well and truly crossed for you. xxxx