Cheery's path to fulfilment - finishing the DIY, looking after myself, appreciating the garden 🌻

Greying_Pilgrim

Aw, that is sad news Cheery - I had lost touch with the blog, but you're right, she was able to make even mundane chores have purpose and value. And it was nice to see things growing in her garden - a wholly different climate to the UK.

She used to post on MSE didn't she - prior to the blog? I know that's where I 'knew' her from. It is a shame she'd taken the blog down, but understandable in this world of folks taking stuff, and passing it off as their own I guess. It's a family diary in effect, as she had photos of her late husband, kids and grandkids on it etc. Thank goodness we've at least had Rhonda H in our lives though - she exerted such positive influence in her kind and gentle way.

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

Ah, I hadn't realised she used to post on here, I can't remember where I first came across her. You're right of course, there were a lot of family pictures, and it would be a right old job to go through and remove everything personal. I'm very grateful indeed that she wrote several books.

In different (but related in a way) news, the sun is shining 😊 I have some washing on, and there's enough of a breeze that it should dry quickly if I get it out in time and it doesn't rain. I'm sat having my first garden breakfast & cuppa of the year on my beloved swing seat (which is nicely sheltered) 😊

rtandon27

You have sunshine?! Lucky ducky - enjoy it while it's out. We are overcast and grey - I'm about to turn the big overhead lights on, as they are 'daylight' lamps. Another load to go in and two to fold and put away.

Cheery_Daff

We do indeed have sunshine (for now, at least). Washing is out, but bets are on as to whether it will dry within 5 minutes or be whisked off to the next village first 😂

EssexHebridean

oh that is a shame about Down To Earth - particularly after she had gone and returned. Just looked and she’s gone invitation only hasn’t she - what a shame. I can’t recall her posting on MSE in the time I’ve been here but she may have done I guess.

Hopefully MrCheery is feeling better now- I can certainly sympathise as I have the bug that’s going round that starts with a hideous cough and then moves to full cold mode - it’s no fun!

Cheery_Daff

Urgh, sorry to hear you're feeling rotten too 😕 I'm hoping i don't catch it - we both managed to have covid on separate occasions without infecting the other so there is some hope, but I'm not holding my breath 😂

Greying_Pilgrim

Maybe I have remembered wrong - but I'm sure she was 'Rhonda down to earth' or something similar as a username - and we didn't have _ or whatever in our names at that point did we. I'm pretty sure it was on the OS board - and obviously she used to talk about things from an Australian perspective - and she found 'soulmates' here as at the time there was not the equivalent of MSE in Australia.

Cheery how's your washing gone on? I've just got mine in, and it's not bone dry, but it's 'dry enough'. I'll pop it on the airer just now. I don't think I will need to put the dehu on.

Greying X

Cheery_Daff

I've left a heavy pair of Mr C's jeans out as the waistband was still a bit damp, but otherwise everything was dry and has gone inside 😊 I'll take the jeans in shortly - I'll probably stick them on the radiator for a bit. We've had full sun on the washing line though, and at the top of a hill so no restrictions on breeze 🥶😂

Still outside myself, just sheltering in the greenhouse for a minute to defrost my hands 😬

Queen_of_the_Hive

Evening Cheery,

Didn't know about Rhonda but am the kind of person that likes everyday stories from the older generations so I think I'd have enjoyed hearing all about it.

Two washloads out and packed away here today, we have no dryer so it'll finish off in the wardrobes. Only brought it in at 8pm! Both were decently dried.

Cheery_Daff

Excellent drying there @Queen_of_the_Hive ! I also like reading Grandma Donna's blog - she's in America, friends with Rhonda and a similar age. She often studies an old year and tries to incorporate some aspects of that year into her life, she's on 1942 at the minute I think.

[No idea what happened there, looks like I accidentally deleted half of my own post! Adding back in now]

Busy week. Office 4 days, stayed a night with my pal and joined her for exercise class then pizza 😂 Lots of driving 😬 Mr C has been full of cold so I've been staying away and sleeping in the spare room, but he accidentally woke me by making coffee at 4.30am and I didn't go back to sleep properly. When I got up for work at 7 he was just going to bed.

As a result of that, I've been completely wiped today, and ended up leaving the office at 2pm after several people asked me if I was OK 😬 Met Mr C for a restorative cuppa, he's stopped coughing and spluttering now and is winging his way back to normality (aside from the lack of sleep 🙄), and did manage to get a bit more work done, but otherwise I've written myself a comprehensive list for Monday.

Big car went to the garage to finally have its bonnet cable replaced - they come in a 2 pack so the nice garage geezer also replaced the one that opens the fuel cap, which has also been broken for months and just staying open (not the actual cap, the cover). Anyway, we can now open and close both that and the bonnet easily. He also replaced the oil for me while he had everything out of the bonnet. £166 lighter for that.

And I had a filling, somehow conned/convinced into a composte one rather than amalgam (in this case to avoid drilling away more of my tooth than necessary). Of course they won't do that on the NHS so it was £197 😱 No anaesthetic either (by choice, there was less drilling than with amalgam too). Don't know whether i made a good decision, or whether I disapprove and should have just stuck with the NHS option. Anyway, it's done now. An expensive week, but all cash was in pots so no harm done.

Went to bed for a couple of hours after work and now back there again - very much hoping I'm not coming down with Mr C's cold 🙄😬