NST April 2024: April appreciation

apple_muncher

Shrewbie, good luck on your flat- and mortgage-hunting. You've been saving up for a while so I hope you find the perfect place.

Today I am grateful for getting to and from the gym under my own steam, for pip getting on with school work (so glad to have the pesky interminable chemistry hwk done), for a useful visit to the charity shop (6 Harry and the dinosaurs books for grandsons, 3 tops for me, laundry basket + book + trousers + ice skates 😎 for Pip!), for not getting caught in the downpour.

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#11

Thanks @Starlight_at_Sea, work went quite well & the new head teacher seems nice 😃
Glad your therapy is going well @ditty1234.
Hope you're doing ok @beanielou & @grandmanerd.

A good start to the day, did yoga first then Norwegian after, then managed to get ready, eat breakfast & be out the door 5 minutes early! Will see if it continues 🤣

Had a meet the new head meeting after work. Was pleased when I arrived home to see that DH had put the hinges on the new door for DS3's bedroom. Just needs painting no w, then the other 3 doors to do. 

Ate an early tea, then had a 10 mins power nap (was woken 3 times last night by DS2😓). Got 2.5 sewing jobs done, so pleased with that.

Very frustrated with my evening Norwegian practice, a hard lesson which didn't help when the app was running VERY slowly, so my patience was wearing thin!!

Grateful for a 6year old picking me flowers, the new head being nice, work starting on the new doors

Starlight_at_Sea

Your charity shop finds are often ace Apple! I have managed a charity shop drop off this weekend, plus a trip to the tip, so consider myself winning at life. 

NSD today, was out for dinner but dad paid 😍 nice to try somewhere different but in our local town, and reasonably priced. I have had my fill of vegetables yesterday and today at meals out, and supplemented that with salad sandwiches with both salad and bread from olio. Prince to pauper and back again! 

Worked all day, it's somewhat tedious at the moment and still quite strained. A colleague is going through some serious health issues and had a transplant this week. So greatful they are doing ok so far. A reminder of what's important! 

Tackled one of the annoying and scary jobs today in margins of work. I have a few more lined up for the coming days. I will definitely sleep a lot better when a couple more are done. I'm struggling to find opportunity to take Flexi hours off to do jobs for myself  but know I need to book a couple half day or even full days - it would be for the best! 

ditty1234

Happy to report a small weight loss, using different numbers: kg, lb, stones gives me lots of magic numbers to aim for along the way and I dropped under one big one this morning. 
Also I am now determined to gently change jobs, not sure how - but there will be great options for me out there!
These life things take time. but for the most it is well worth it. 
Thanks @Thrifty_Taylor
Grateful for quiet time at home, local opportunities to apply for and as always my lovely running group. 

Shrewbie

thanks @Starlight_at_Sea and @apple_muncher, I do seem to be getting there with the saving, as long as the goalposts don't move too much... I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to stay with firiends and save money.

Today was not an NSD, bought a present off the big river shop for a friend who's just had a baby, but this came out of my English bank account so not counting it as a spend. did my MPs this morning (@ditty :-)) and went to the park to read at lunchtime. Housemate lives opposite a park with a running track so will try to do a couple of laps this eve. Hope everyone has had a good day!

beanielou

A good wee day today. Physio today which was good & then a treatment which included something for my feet & ankles then reiki & a wee soundbath. The sun has been shining 

f0xh0les

Thunderbolts and lightning ⚡ ⚡ very very frightening me! Oh the rain! 🌧️ Oh the hailstones!  Apocalyptic weather this afternoon in Le Shire. 
Cleaned and hoovered the top two floors, sorted out clean bedding for the boys to change their beds. Cleaned the bathroom and loos, and then  put up a blind on the top floor. More stuff earmarked for the charity shop/recycling centre.
So have achieved something.  It is still a mess though.
 I am burning candles every night at the moment and my stores are reducing nicely, plus we are warm.  Slowly order is being imposed. It is getting easier to keep the 'done' bits of the house tidy.  Just need to get more of it to the 'done' stage. 
  to all  not feeling great, soon it will be Summer, well it will be May anyway ...

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#12

Sending healing thoughts to your colleague, @Starlight_at_Sea. My DH had a kidney transplant 18 months ago.@beanielou

Did you know we'd be singing the start of your post @f0xh0les? Maybe that's why you've got thunder!! 🤣

Another broken night's sleep. Got up & did yoga. Just about to put the local news & weather on the radio at 7.30, when an elderly customer rang, returning my call from last night. He was on the phone for 35 WHOLE MINUTES!!! Does he not realise I've got to get DS up for school & get myself ready & fed before work?! I felt quite stressed afterwards, not from hearing more of his life story, but having to rush! Took some deep breaths on the way to work.

A small blip after the bell rang, but I turned it around & lots of laughter ensued. I got to join in with art today, very therapeutic doing long brush strokes first with water, then watercolour paints. Felt very relaxed afterwards 😃 Had a great chat with the secretary at dinnertime, then one with a teacher friend after school.

Had an early tea, collected DS3 from his friend's, then finished yesterday's sewing job. Time for s relaxing bath.

Grateful for bits of blue sky on my drive to work, painting, seeing an owl on my way home, followed by a fat male pheasant, a different child giving me 2 flowers

apple_muncher

We had the same weather as you, f0xh0les (ooh, finally the suggested words brings up your name after just 2 letters!), and a hall full of y9s doing an exam swivelled their heads in unison to look out at the weather.

Today I am grateful for getting lots of steps done, for exciting weather-and for being inside when it was all kicking off, for a full-on busy day of invigilating with a fab team and getting the kids through 5 (!!!!) exams and finishing the day on time, for my current book.

Starlight_at_Sea

It's getting easier at my flat to keep the done bits done and tidy too @f0xh0les ... and lovely it is in that one room too! I borrowed a lot of painting equipment  from a family member and am holding out for dry weather outside so I can paint a couple of small outside walls.... it is however making the place seem very cluttered and no sunshine in sight. No thunder nor ⚡ either, which is as shame as I love a good storm! Just damp and dank! 

I misread your final para @Thrifty_Taylor and thought you said a fat male peasant, which seemed like quite a departure from your usual time of voice! Thank you for the well wishes. Colleague doing very well, is not medicine quite incredible, but is very bored and in isolation for a few more days. If there is any learning from your experience that might help me be a supportive employer do DM me. So much is in the art of the possible & we have quite generous terms and conditions and flexibility as managers, but it's hard to know what kind of adjustments could be helpful and sometimes a lot of pressure on the person to initiate asks. I'd really rather be able to say these are some of the types of things that we do for others and might be helpful, let me know what you would like to explore. 

No spend today, barely left laptop all day and all evening. Year end and big start of new project, plus a few other curve ballsnand some people things. I have another busy day tomorrow but after that am into more stable activity I think. Writing here last night made me realise I really need to regain those hours back so I can get some of my own life admin done. Anyway, am hopeful that I am ticking LOTs of my mental to do list even if it is slanted more towards work than home so far.

Paying guest left the flat really tidy. I popped up tonight to check heating wasn't left on etc and have bought back one lot of bedding to wash at dads tomorrow. I have a fortnightly cleaner coming on Friday so am not going to clean before that unless I get a booking in the mean time. Have quite enough loos and bathrooms to keep clean at dads and at my own house! Future bookings are ticking over slowly, but I'm not opening it very far on advance at the moment - just as far ahead as my brain can cope with!