NST AUGUST 2024

apple_muncher

G'day! Please sign me up for August, grandmanerd.

We spent yesterday in the rainforest and , yes, it rained! But we did get a photo of Pip holding the most cutest and adorable koala ever.

Today is our last day up in Queensland so we're chilling, and planning to go to the second hand bookshop this afternoon before packing up and heading to a cold and wet and windy Melbourne tomorrow.

I believe it has been significantly warmer back home than out here, but we've seen whales, seals, koalas, crocs, turtles, coral, fishes, wallaroos. We've been to local markets, walked along beaches, spent quality time with family, visited as many Op Shops (Opportunity Shops - charity shops) as we could, driven a lot. We've been to the rainforest, ziplining, snorkeling on the outer reef, Pip rode a camel, dss took us driving on the dunes (we all had a go, including Pip!)

And we still have a few days in Melbourne ahead.

Once we're home, we'll tot up all the costs - flights, accommodation and spends here. It's been a no-holds-barred (is that the right phrase?) trip but I do reckon we're well within our budget 😎.

f0xh0les

£50 on the PBs !!  What a nice way to start the day.  I am taking myself off charity shopping this morning, and if necessary I will go real shopping this afternoon if I can't find what I need. That is my plan for today. 
Torrential rain last night. The first proper test of the new roof really.  It did not disappoint. 

grandmanerd

   Friday 2nd August 2024

7 Things to Remember When Being Judged By Others
1   It's not about you, it's about them
2   It doesn't matter what they think, it's what you think
3   You don't have to convince them of anything
4   You don't need them to know the truth, you need to remind yourself of the truth
5   You don't need them to accept you or the situation, you need to come to your own acceptance of yourself and the situation
6   You can't stop them judging, so focus all your energy on detaching
7   If they're judging you about something you already feel insecure about, then it's a blessing in disguise.....
LIFE IS JUST SHOWING YOU WHAT YOU NEED TO HEAL WITHIN
(Bernadette Logue, Pinchmeliving.com)

Sensory rest is silent walks. Soothing scents. Loose clothing. Cosy socks. Deep pleasure
Spiritual rest is meditation. Prayer. Energy healing. Full moon rituals
Creative rest is drawing. Pompom making. Cake decorating. Reading fantasy novels. Trying a new recipe
Playful rest is anything fun and unproductive. Watching a romcom. Playing a board game. Doing a puzzle. Building a fort.

grandmanerd

Earlier this week I scribbled some notes. 

Money 
1)   I have the third set of transactions for money that was taken from my bank. I'm slightly worried that the bank keeps sending me new cards when someone has my bank details but overall I know that I have done nothing wrong and nor have the people I live with and I'm trusting the bank to sort it out (they push us all into living this way so it's up to them to police it)
2)   I was feeling poor so I went through all my bags and found all the notes and pound coins - did the money box too. I have enough cash to pay for food and other things whilst my bank account is in disarray (it's just a nuisance)
3)   Whilst tidying/ clearing/ sorting I found (3rd time, it keeps disappearing behind drawers) the original receipt for the first chunk of money I gave my brother from mum's estate (he needed an adapted bathroom) and it's a £1000 more than I'd written down (I wouldn't over estimate it without the proof - accountant's mantra). So that changes the balance between us in my favour. I'm currently writing revised accounts (I spent some time earlier in the year backtracking through old diaries to pin down some spending - I did jot them down at the time but they were scattered). I'm putting everything down - 3 different types of bin bags (I was just using my own) and the dust sheets. Lots of small purchases that can get forgotten about but they add up.
4)    I want to return to more frugal ways and being more 'on top' of my bank balance. After years of struggle it's comforting to know there's enough in the bank to buy food and let it slide when other things need doing.

House/ Where I live or am going to live
1)   Ultimately I'm going to need a bungalow. DS1 and DS2 want me to be nearer to them (they live in different directions from central Manchester). This follows on from their experience with their dad. He lived in north Wales at the end of his life and it was hard to keep going there during various hospital admissions. Even off season traffic was quite heavy (people escaping to caravans for the weekend) and it took it's toll on them both. It would be useful to live near enough for someone to come and pick me up if I fall and can't get off the floor.
2)   'Grandma's house' (I'm going to have a house sign that says that) is a good short/ medium term solution. I want to have garden space (things in pots/ raised beds) and even if I was confined to one floor, square footage compares favourably with a one bedroom flat. I'd also be near a park and be able to get onto the canal bank and watch herons, swans and other wildlife. If my brother gets realistic, this gives me time to look for the 'perfect' bungalow.
3)    I'd prefer a 'true bungalow' (probably a 1960's build). They are more generously proportioned, with quite a lot of outside space and many have had the same occupants for many years (some moved in as newly weds) so the decor may be hideous but the 'bones' are good. New bungalows can be poky (some have a lot of wasted hall space). I need to investigate the maintenance fees for 'over 55's developments' - is it just someone who cuts the grass really short (bad for my hayfever) or do they have a maintenance crew who fix whatever needs fixing.
4)    I've never lived more than a mile from where I was born. I know some people dream of retiring to the seaside and are cut off from social contacts. I don't make friends easily and have to force myself to socialise. I'm happy with my own company most of the time and as long as I knew people enough to say good morning to, that would be okay. I don't want to 'have to' turn up for coffee every morning.
5)    There will be a gap whilst renovations/ adaptations are done (more so if I have to find another property) so I need to make things better here whilst I'm waiting.

Space/ Improving where I am now
1)   I share my tiny house with my youngest son, his Beloved and 3 chinchillas and probably enough furniture for 2 houses. My house isn't safe or even easy for me to walk around in. I've been planning necessary changes (my 'next 20 years' kitchen for many years). The money from mum's bungalow meant I could afford it but there's so much stuff, that there isn't room to get anyone in. We were waiting until they moved out but didn't anticipate it being so long. The kitchen sink does not work (piping underneath is disconnected so water needs to be baled out and taken outside or it floods the kitchen. The cooker is on it's last legs (the whole kitchen is now 20 years old - there were still bits to do when I went in hospital for my hysterectomy) and it's basically unusable. Think I need a basic refit and to get rid of lots of stuff.
2)   I will be having a charity collection of some pieces of furniture and a bulky waste collection from the Council (my bed can go -it was chosen from a cs by DS3, the mattress can only be used one way up, I'm fed up of trying to clean it up and the 'ties' are always catching me in my back and sides). I can cobble a temporary bed together if I buy a single mattress. Another of the wardrobes in their room can also go. If my brother won't let me have his half of grandma's house, I will need to organise a cs collection and a bulky waste collection there too.
3)   I'm on a mission to 'fill the bins' and will continue to use the ones belonging to the 2 rented houses as long as they remain empty (some of it is their junk and some is communal - I've done a litter pick of the backs this week and that went in the neighbour's bin. There are also some items left behind after various events - I will try to get the workmen to rehome a traffic cone this weekend.
4)   General 'stuff'. People use my kitchen as a dumping ground and there is still stuff that came from mum's and all my diy and painting stuff came back with me. Lots of stuff is not in the room it should be in and I don't have a shed or garage. I will do what I can.
5)   There are lots of bits that are earmarked for the cs but haven't been gathered and taken from the house.
6)   DS3 and Beloved could possibly use upstairs (my room) and I could have full use of the front room (including for sleeping). I haven't told DS3 that I want the chinchillas to go upstairs yet.

That's enough for now. I'm grateful for creative thinking (I'm not just outside the box, I'm up a ladder and using the boxes to build storage), time to rest and ponder, a rough plan (subject to my body co-operating and the sun being kinder).. 

 

abundant1972

Morning everyone 🌘

Wow grandmanerd! You have a lot going on - but you seem to have a level head about it and a masterplan. Just keeping chipping away - a bit at a time.

Yesterday was a productive 01st August. Did a bank swap so earned myself a bit of free cash... Swapped spare money into a higher interest savings account, and re-examined my budget. I will have to just tweak things here and there as no idea what my actual wage will be when I start back at work. Being savvy buying things using cashback sites and / or my new rewards account. No more impulse buying.

Yesterday and today will be spend days

Yesterday I was grateful for:

1) Opportunities to clear a bit more debt
2) My time in the local park being mindful
3) A lovely evening nature walk 

Today I am grateful for:

1) The NHS and all the great care I have received
2) Time spent in solitude and peace
3) Food and supplies to see me through the next few weeks

Am trying to get back into living by the moon cycles:

Current Moon Phase : Balsamic Phase 🌘; healing, soothing, surrender. A time to re-examine what habits no longer serve and let them go. Spend time relaxing and releasing, ready for the New Moon on Sunday. 

Have a lovely day folks 🌞

lcc86

@grandmanerd it sounds like your CAB visit helped confirm what you knew needed to be done, all the best with how you proceed.

@apple_muncher I hope you're having the best time in the land down under! 

We had some impressive thunderstorms last night, really helped take the edge of the heat. I still woke early as I was pretty hot. Had breakfast and walked to the gym, after that I walked to the hospital (only about 10 minutes from the gym) for my steroid injections. It went well, nowhere near as painful as I'd expected so now I'm just home recovering.

I've spent today on a coffee at the hospital and the taxi home, £10 total give or take.

weenancyinAmerica

@grandmanerd - have you had a chance to go back through your posts on here for your expenses. You usually mentioned them here on these threads and it might help you check and see if you are missing any, plus what the actual costs were. "My Replies" over on the left might help you find the entries quickly.  Good luck.

laura_lau

Today went by quite quickly, we had two viewings at my mum's house, and they both seemed interested, however only time will tell.

Have done quite a bit of work, however not all I needed to do, and now I'm torn if I should just keep going for another bit or just be done for the week and leave it for next week. None of it is urgent, but my manager is particularly keen in seeing lots of progress every Monday morning in my 1:1 - I find it a bit unnecessary, but that's how she does it...

I did fill a small paper bag with some things in my bedroom that can definitely go to the recycling bin, and hopefully I might have a bit of more time to continue tomorrow. I've also promised my mum to help her with her wardrobe tomorrow, to take out and put away in boxes all the clothes that do not fit her anymore after her hospital stay, so that the older and newer ones I just bought for her in smaller sizes are more easily reachable for her in the wardrobe and drawers. I feel tomorrow might be a good and productive decluttering day!

I've also organised a little "mid-Summer celebration" on Sunday, with some members of my family who are not on holiday, so we can celebrate my mum being home again. We will cook a bit tomorrow evening and will keep it easy on Sunday, only fun and no stress on Sunday.

Today was another NSD for me, August has started well so far!

DawnW

Good move seeking CAB advice @grandmanerd. Hope it helps you to move forward.

I have done lots today, after going to bed before 8pm yesterday 

*Routine kitchen clean up.

*Shredded the rest of my brother's paperwork (there was loads, I had to keep stopping so that the shredder didn't overheat).

*Checked the banks and identified where the money to pay for my brother's funeral and the new bathroom will come from.

*Moved out the side table that the modem stands on, and cleaned underneath.

*Disconnected the old modem and plugged in the new one (new cheaper contract), then dealt with all the devices that need to access the internet, to ensure they can connect.

*Made a cake

*Cleaned the top floor of the house (OH helped) and put all sorts of stuff away / back where it belongs now that the bathroom is completed.

*Stripped off the spare beds.

*Load of washing that I will peg out tomorrow weather permitting.

Cooked dinner (OH helped).

Watered the garden pots, and fed some of the tomato plants.

Picked a bowl of tomatoes

Evicted some slugs

Found some paint in the garage that will do for the little bits in the new bathroom that need doing. Pleased about that, as otherwise I would have needed to buy some, and paint isn't cheap.

Won £175 on the premium bonds - THAT has never happened before. I have had bonds for years and never won more than £25, and that only a tiny number of times.

grandmanerd

Saturday 3rd August 2024

Imagine a Life Without Limits
Of course there will be limitations but just for a while, dream big. Scribble it down, without stopping to analyse it. Just let it flow. Some people suggest imagining a lottery win, but that doesn't inspire me. I'm happy to have enough to meet my basic needs - knowing I'll never need to go to the SM midweek, rummage through the reduced sections and work out what I could buy to feed my family until the end of the week (I might do it for fun but that gut gnawing fear isn't there). 

Then start to work through it. Not enough money to go on the trip of a lifetime. Start saving or explore nearer to home. Go on a virtual trip (I like to watch the baby pandas in their nursery - some people have jobs making sure the baby pandas are happy and having fun). They've got round the pandas disinclination to breed by cloning them, so there's a solution to everything. It might not be ideal, it may cost a lot of time or money, but if it works and you can live with it, it will do.

You need to acknowledge your physical limitations and learn to work round them. The 35 minute bus ride to Bolton is getting a bit too much for me - I don't want to spend the last 10 minutes gritting my teeth against the pain and just wishing it was over. So in future, especially on longer trips, I'll start putting breaks in the journey - getting off the bus, finding somewhere to sit for a while (walking round helps when I'm in the infirmary and there are different types of seats in different places), having a drink or snack, enjoying the view. Manchester is a bit easier because the bus seats are better.

Sit down to do jobs rather than standing, or alternate. Mum hated ironing, but insisted on ironing absolutely everything (it took me years to persuade her otherwise) and it was only in her final years that she let me lower the ironing board and sit comfortably to do it and then get rid of the board altogether and just use a towel on a table or worktop (she only ironed a handful of things by then).

If you're old or infirm, learn to do things safely whenever possible - in fact everyone should do this. If you are ever in need of an entertaining read I can recommend the statistics on the causes of visits to A & E. Stairs and chip pans are the most dangerous items in the house, over-reaching whilst at the top of ladders is common but many people injure themselves trying to put on their pants in the morning not to mention the lurking dangers of tea cosies.

Jobs can be broken down into smaller chunks or stopping to rest every 15 minutes or so. It may be frustrating if it takes weeks to do something that once took a couple of days but if the job gets done, ok. Learn to ask for help when needed (yes we all find it hard) and try not to be critical about other people's efforts or them doing it 'the wrong way'. 

You may be too old to train as a surgeon or become a concert pianist but there's nothing wrong with playing the piano/ drawing/ writing stories just for fun.

Learn the joy in all the simple moments in life, sit in the garden (back yard) and watch the bees and butterflies, make friends with the birds who visit, learn to let go and relax (it's good for your heart and your MH). 

Make room for what matters....
Let go of what doesn't
It's that simple
(Robert Tew)

Celebrations
anyone camping in the back yard or eating watermelon today?