NST September 2024: A Turtle soap opera

apple_muncher

Oh abundant, not just major surgery but also a work tribunal. Hang in there, lots of hugs, and please keep us in touch with how you're doing - all states of mind are welcome here.

weenancy, it does seem that some medical experts have no idea whatsoever how to explain things to normal people. Hope you find some answers and ways to improve.

grandmanerd

Yesterday was difficult but worked out okay. I was not well. Over the past 3 days I've had trouble walking and moving and the change in the weather has brought the winter bugs. Still doing a little bit each day but needing lots of rest. I felt 'unwell' but couldn't pin down what was happening.

Yesterday evening DS3 and Beloved came down as I had said I needed to have a serious talk with them. Ds3 did some little jobs I'd asked him to do (my old scales are down, he brought other things down from the top 2 under stairs shelves, he emptied out the plastic box under the sink (copying my technique, baling out with a tinned potatoes can). I said what I wanted, we negotiated. DS3 is going to give me nearly double his monthly contribution (but some of it will be 'saved' towards their house deposit).  Beloved will take over responsibility for the energy bill (I will pay her a small sum towards this but she will be building a credit history by being the bill payer). She did offer me the money she currently has saved towards a deposit to pay for another professional clean. (They each had more saved than I knew about, which was reassuring). Beloved asked DS3 if he would help her do their room in a couple of days - I said I would.

I had already contacted Mr and Mrs Builder to see when they are away on holiday and when they will be available. They will be away for the second half of October but will call round on Saturday to sort a plan for the kitchen (and hopefully a downstairs sink and shower unit). I have said the house is a mess but I'm still trying to sort as much as possible before Saturday afternoon.

And then I went in the back yard and was very very sick (but not - it was colourless, nasty stuff that had gone on my lungs and in my stomach and i felt much better when it was all out, fragile but better). Today I've eaten sparingly - a tin of soup, a tin of baked beans, some toast. Last night I nibbled a couple of oatcakes.

Grateful for progress, feeling fragile but better, lots of rest (the last of the washing went out this morning and it hasn't rained on it yet, another load has gone in and I should be able to do a little more washing up now that DS3 has emptied the bucket under the sink. I'll just shuffle along doing little bits - there are areas where a little bit could make all the difference.

Have a good weekend turtles. 

ditty1234

An other day of stewing and checking my email 50 times, but no answer to job interview yet. Maybe it is not for me to work for the council after all. EMDR Therapy has reached a new crunch point so also a bit of a low/slow day on that front. 
Grateful for getting a bit of tidying and laundry done. 
For having a lovely dinner with ds2.
And looking forwards to a day out in Oxford tomorrow. 

apple_muncher

Take care, grandmanerd. Well done on the chat with the adult kids. It's good that Mr and Mrs Builder are still helping you.

Today I am grateful for getting to the gym early, for Pip enjoying a school trip (groundlings in the Globe on a wet day isn't my idea of fun!), for aldee's caramelised onion chutney, for a warm dry house to go back to after being out in heavy rain.

Shrewbie

Hi everyone! sending you hugs and good vibes @abundant1972

I really need to catch up with posts, work has been quite busy, I'm studying for an exam and I just don't think I can give the thread the attention it deserves to run October. Sorry turtles. I'd be happy to run one in a couple of months. Sending you all lots of love. 

grandmanerd

Thanks Shrewbie - I was just wondering how to nudge whoever had volunteered. Nudge isn't rude on the internet, is it?
I'll do it - can dig all the old getting ready for winter stuff from previous years and add a bit of magic.

grandmanerd

October Thread https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6557271/nst-octoberfest/p1?new=1

grandmanerd

Mr and Mrs Builder came and they will come back with plans for new kitchen with separate downstairs shower and loo at the end of October (they're on holiday from the middle to the end of October). Mr Builder will call round again to work out how much cladding the room needs (lots) - white for the ceiling and white with silver twinkle for the walls. i want white matt units, wood look worktops (I love wood but I'd ruin it), pendant light fittings, lots of drawers, taps that are easy to turn on and I have no idea what it will look like but did modify a couple of Mr Builder's suggestions (extra worktop will jut out from the internal wall rather than the external wall so I still have a direct path from the sink to the back yard . I'm having a two plate halogen hob (I can no longer juggle 6 pans on 4 burners and I have at least 3 steamer pans) and a compact air fryer oven (that can cook a whole chicken and grills as well).

Did lots of work before they came but in the middle of the night I walked back into the front room and it looked an utter mess  - I've been concentrating on what I have done and room as a whole was a bit of a shock. However I have another month to continue discarding (found 3 freezer drawers today and don't know which freezer they came from - I suspect Beloved has a small one in their room and dumped them in the kitchen). We will be having a skip so anything I don't want can be stored near the back gate. 

Grateful for Mr and Mrs Builder, anticipation of a new kitchen and more ways to get rid of more stuff (I've found several items which I missed on previous passes).

  

beanielou

@grandmanerd.  Sounds like fantastic progress.  So chuffed for you.

apple_muncher

Today I am grateful for nearly 11 hours of sleep, for getting lots of errands done, for a lovely chat with one of the climbing instructors who also needlefelts, for finding a parking space, for the heavy items from the laundry nearly drying outside.