NST April 2025 A Pirate Life For Me

grandmanerd

Sunday 4th April 2025

To err is human
To arr is pirate

Adventure Quotes
Dare to live the life you have always wanted

Dare to explore places near and far and everywhere in between

My goal is to die with memories not dreams

Life begins at the end of your comfort zone (Neale Donald Walsch)

Adventure is the best way to learn

Live for the moments you can't put into words

(Being risk averse is rather more complicated so we will explore that on another day)

f0xh0les

Did a Google  search of 'what's my mystery beanbag sized plant' and it turns out it is a white hebe.  The 🐝 seem to like it.
I am going to ache, so will reserve a hammock on deck in the shade 😎 for the rest of the day.  Moved a ton of stuff around the yard.
Got a load on the line and dried.
Swept up and removed the rubbish and it looks loads better out there. 75% cleared. The rest will get done during the coming week.
Really happy with my achievements so far today.  NSD 2

DawnW

Hebes are lovely @f0xh0les. I had a mauve one in my front garden for several years but unfortunately it died in the frost a couple of years back.

Not a NSD, as I bought a tray of lots of little pots at the boot sale this morning. Not sorry as I needed some, and they would have cost far more than the £1 I paid for them, even in the cheap shops.And it is recycling instead of buying new plastic. I also bought two lovely comfy garden chairs. Just needed to add cushions from my stash. Not counting this as a spend though, as I sold the old, uncomfortable ones on FB marketplace immediately for the same as I had paid for the 'new' ones   They are far from new btw, but suitably rustic and vintage looking for my garden

Finished up some leftover naan bread pizza for lunch with leftover coleslaw. Made a chilli with pork mince, as that is what I had, for next week. We have the rest of a pie from the day before yesterday for dinner later, and I will put a Greek spinach and feta filo pie for later in the week in the oven while it is reheating, as I cut loads of perpetual spinach this morning. It is all ready to go, the spinach is washed and ready to cook and then I will just need to assemble it.

Just watered the garden with the remaining contents of the water butts. All empty now. Strange at this time of the year.

Thrifty_Taylor

Glad you've arrived safely @apple_muncher.

Happy new year @f0xh0les 🥂, let the budgeting commence 😊

NSD#4
Another sunny day, though s cool breeze. Walked 6.5 miles with DH after breakfast. This included climbing over a couple of fences to avoid a pen with 2 sheep in it (lambing time).
Had a rest when we got home & read my book whilst eating my dinner. Customer dropped sewing off.
Did some quick research on setting stepping stones into a lawn. It was how I thought, so carted lots of various sized flat stones, but them on situ, checked what DH thought, then dug out & laid 5 of them. Lots more to do another day, but was pleased with what I'd achieved. Washing had dried on the line 😀 Another customer dropped sewing off, that I wasn't expecting!

Peeled some ginger for the freezer (used a teaspoon). Can then be grated frozen when required. My brother phoned, then after tea, did a seeing job. Some pampering in the bath & used up a body scrub I've had for years.

Grateful for a different walk, my new path looking nice, some me time

apple_muncher

It's simply gorgeous here. Very very cold but clear blue skies and plenty warm enough in the sun. Today we went up Sulphur Mountain on the gondola, and then walked up to the cosmic ray station. I love the name! It's where they record the sun's rays. I think.

Today I am grateful for the energy to walk lots, for the right clothes for being out up a mountain, for how Canadians drive so nicely, for Pip saying that where we're staying feels more homely now, for messages with family.

grandmanerd

Monday 7th April 2025

Adventurous or Risk Averse Part II
If you are Risk Averse your cautious nature might be protecting you from life's pitfalls but it could also be closing doors to some great opportunities. If children are born curious and with a desire to explore and find out about the world around them how do people become risk averse.

1    There are genetic traits which give a tendency towards a need for adventure or security
2    Environment - parents may pass on their own insecurities. We don't want our children to get hurt but we need to give them space to grow. There's a tendency to encourage boys to go out and take risks whilst girls are kept close to 'home' (helping mother). I don't know how much this has changed, I think the more open toy options available when my boys were young have reverted and toys are heavily 'gender coded' (I'm refusing to buy cars, building toys etc if their adverts say 'for boys'). Wasn't there a case a few years ago where someone's small boy wanted unicorn trainers but they were in the girls section
3    Children brought up in chaotic environments, where they spend their childhood trying to please their parents and make sense of the broken world they live in, will opt for the safe options and resist change
4    Life experience - things happen. Most of us 'cope' but people with early trauma (1 -3) will retreat to a 'safe place', always the familiar option. Even small things contribute - if money is tight you stick to a limited number of familiar meal options because if you try something new and your child(ren) don't like it, you may not be able to afford an alternative.

Becoming more adventurous is you are risk averse
1    Start small - bungee jumping may not be for you (unless you always wanted to) so work out what your current limits are and find challenges slightly outside your comfort zone.
2    If you have been through a difficult time but recognise that you need to 'get back out there' (I tend to retreat from the world when my mental health dips)
3    Risk averse people research thoroughly before making decisions but also tend to overestimate negative outcomes (and invent many extremely unlikely scenarios). Try to act rather than finding more reasons not to do something. Develop what if options but add 'What if it doesn't go wrong?'

 

DawnW

Thanks for this @grandmanerd. Food for thought. My kids (1 boy and 2 girls) all wore trousers and played with bikes, lego and pens / paints and paper almost to the exclusion of anything else, but there wasn't the emphasis on princesses and unicorns then I suppose!

Lovely weather again today after a cold start. It is very dry and I am having to use mains water to water the garden plants as the water butts are dry.

I got a load of washing dry outside, and although the heating came on briefly first thing, it hasn't since and no fire alight tonight.

Not done a huge amount today, just the usual tidying and a bit of cleaning, and then sat in the sun for a while

Made mushroom omelettes and salad for OH and I for lunch

Dinner will be chilli, jacket potatoes, coleslaw and some of the pickles I made the other day. This was a Hugh F-W recipe from his leftovers book. They were initially much too salty, but seem to have mellowed a bit after a week. I will definitely do them again, as they just used up leftover bits of veg from the fridge, but will put less salt with them next time

I now need to finalise the shopping list for tomorrow.

Thrifty_Taylor

An early start today (6.30). Woke DS1&3, did Norwegian & exercises, then took them both & DS3's enormous toolbox into town. Dropped DS3 on site, & DS1 to visit my mum, stopped to buy compost on the way home, back by 8.30! Phew!

Read my book whilst eating breakfast, hung the washing out, then walked 5 miles with DH. Decluttered some programmes off the box whilst doing 3 sewing jobs, then went outside to set in s other 5 stepping stones.

After tea I did the ironing, then some sorting out carp in my bedroom.

Grateful for a warm day, getting sewing done & out the way, the new path looking good, saw my first butterfly of the year

grandmanerd

Tuesday 8th April 2025

Planning the Journey
10 Things To Do Each Month to Organize Your Life
1   BRAIN DUMP
Your head is full of things to do from the mundane (what's for tea) to the critical (renew your passport now or you won't be going on your planned holiday). Start by getting all your vague thoughts, ideas and worries out of your head and onto paper. Your mind will be clearer and you won't be skittering about chasing 'forgotten' tasks. 
2    SET GOALS FOR THE MONTH
You should already have 'life goals' (a five year plan/ ideas for how you want your life to look). Set some mini goals for the month - stick to 1-3, limited but powerful goals. Set benchmarks for the end of the month and sort some daily tasks that will get you there.
3    MONTHLY CALENDAR
Where do you need to be and when. If it's an 'event' do you need to sort clothes, transport, a present. Is it just for you or are other family members involved. Check who is doing what when caring for children or dependent relatives - start with the larger goal and then get it down to the nitty gritty - meal planning, school runs, checking in by phone with a friends or family. Include work deadlines and medical appointments
4    CREATE and MONITOR A BUDGET
We set budgets at the start of the month but checking where we are up to during the month is also important. An unscheduled repair or replacement (especially if your emergency fund is not in place) can knock you off course (maybe in subsequent months too) but an impulse buy or drifting away from the budget needs to be corrected asap. The impulse buy could be a good decision if something you've been looking for is available at a good price.
5    DECLUTTER OBSESSIVELY
Not necessarily obsessively but 10 minutes a day or 10 items a day will help keep your home tidy (even putting things back in the room or drawer they belong in) and organised.
6    DO A COUPLE OF DEEP CLEANING TASKS
It could be a whole room, the under the stairs cupboard or going round wiping all the light switches, door handles and stair rails (very important when the D & V descends)
7    TACKLE ONE ORGANISING PROJECT
Not a room. Clearing your email, reducing your paper pile, a work basket or closet
8    MEAL PLANNING
The perennial question of what to have for tea can drive you mad. Make a list of meals your family will eat, start with what you have in the house, anything you need makes up your shopping list. It doesn't have to be set in stone, meals can be swapped around depending on time available or circumstances (someone ill). Take advantage of a spare hour or two to batch cook. Even cooking double - one meal to eat and another to put away for another day, will make a difference.
9    CONNECT WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS
This helps with your well being and overall mental health and it's easy to 'lose touch' when you are busy or ill. So reach out, even if it's only a phone call or sending a note.
10   PRACTICE SELF-CARE
Not just spa days - keeping up with appointments, eating well, exercising. It may be hard when you are ill or feeling weak but making it part of your routine is essential
(taken from filling the Jars - Decluttering and Intentional living for the overwhelmed overthinker) 

Thrifty_Taylor

Such an inspiring post @grandmanerd, thank you for sharing it. There are definitely some things I could be doing from that list!

NSD#5
Woke up early to wake 2 DSs up for work. Got language & exercises done before breakfast. Quite foggy first thing, but it soon cleared. Washing on the line, then a 3 mile walk with DH. Spent the rest of the day setting more stepping stones into the grass. Finished the path to the greenhouse, & I'm now halfway to the observatory-to-be. Should get it finished tomorrow 😀 Really pleased with how it looks & also that I'm reducing the size of the building stone pile!

Read more of my book & sewed on a gonk's beard.

Grateful for being able to carry on in the garden after having a rest, chat with the neighbour, having enough in my £2 coin collection to cover last month's birthday meal out & money in envelopes to cover a garage bill!