NST June 2025: balance

DawnW

Yes please @apple_muncher

Busy day today, up early for a boot fair. I didn't find much, but it was a pleasant morning.

Came back, and got OH to help me move the TV and the table it sits on, to clean the floor underneath as it looked shockingly dusty from where I was sitting. Cleaned, floor, walls, skirting board, ceiling, table and TV. Much better now.

Dug the first new potatoes for dinner    We had them with a pork chop and a big salad, which included lettuce and other leaves from the garden.

Harvested the garlic, as the leaves were going yellow. Nice big bulbs this year!

Moved some big pots around now that the garlic containers are out of the way (for now)

Did some watering - it is very dry again!

Took some photos of the garden, as it is interesting to compare one year to the next.

Grateful for a nice day, home grown food and a clean TV corner!  Low spend day, as I bought some oranges for the fruit bowl. My boot fair spends were business ones and are recorded separately, as required by HMRC.

apple_muncher

Looking at the month ahead, I have 13 days of invigilating work, 200 scripts to mark for one component, 240 for another, 8 people to corral into doing their own marking, a 2-day visit to the outskirts of Durham as big sis hits 60, at least 1 dentist visit, boob squishing, cataract checking, climbing for Pip, 2 days in Mancunia, a visit to my counsellor.

My challenge is to get the out-of-the-house work done whilst still exercising and eating well, and get the in-the-house work done without ignoring Pip and dh for too long! I enjoy the challenge of months like this, but I'm always glad when they are over too.

Today I am grateful for Pip finding a solution to my laptop issues that were stressing me out and getting in the way of my marking, for lovely neighbour cutting the front grass, for my tub of flowers outside the patio doors and right in front of me as I work, for having the next book in the series I'm reading, for getting ahold of more 100% cocoa solids chocolate.

Thrifty_Taylor

Please count me in. My month will be up & down, as you'd imagine, but I've got time for self care in between all the turmoil. It will give me time to sort my work/life balance & spend lots of time with my family.
After a shaky start, I unpicked & replaced a coat zip (big bulky coat now out of my bedroom, & collected by customer), then went into town & walked a new route (that DS1 would've loved) with my 2 work besties. Visited my mum afterwards, then did some knitting & watched the end of a series.

Grateful for lovely messages, a delicious soup delivery, beautiful flowers & a quick visit from DS1's ex-gf

Shrewbie

Here's how I would like to get a bit more balanced in June:

- Re-start the Artist's Way (but won't beat myself up if I miss a day)
- aim to do one sociable plan  every other weekend, keeping the other weekend for myself
- stick to moderate intake of booze only if I feel like it, and again won't self flagellate up if I slip up... can't believe how easy this is for me now, even as summer has now arrived
- exercise 5 times a week but vary the things i do more
- aim for 80g of protein a day 
- budget is pretty tight, aiming for €20-30 a week for food and fun (part of my rent goes on food so this is extras. I rarely eat out anymore (where most of my money used to go), just the occasional breakfast -   this is proving doable so far. By the end of the year I should have €40k in savings.
- relax and have fun  

grandmanerd

Friday was difficult. I needed a repeat prescription (leaving it until Monday would mean it might not come until the end of the week or even the week after. Because I can't find my phone, I can't phone the pharmacy. If I go to the SM to buy a new phone, by the time I've got it home, set it up and charged it, I would miss the 10 am - noon window they have for accepting phone orders for repeat prescriptions. So I walked to the taxi office and went to the infirmary. Ordered the prescription - ordered everything as I was too woozy to sort through the box  (did an audit 2 weeks ago which told me I'd start to run out and needed to reorder). I also bought ibuprofen. I then went to the cafe and bought 2 sandwiches with soft fillings and went to wait for the bus.

My to do list had 3 items (prescription, buy phone, ibuprofen) and a hopeful (food). If I got to the SM to buy the phone I could pick up some food and get a taxi straight home. If I get off at the bottom of the Avenue I can go in the  Community shop. In the end I was so wobbly and sweaty that I got off at the nearest stop to home, ate my sandwich and slept. Later I did a small Icyland food order including pasta salad, soft sandwich fillings and 2 lots of individual ice creams. 

I've been ill all week, some days it's been in the background with a variety of annoying symptoms, other days it's flu like with sore throat and cough, swollen glands and holding onto furniture to get  around. I've been dithering over whether to cancel Sunday's family outing. I'd feel dreadful if I made the baby sick but I also desperately needed the contact. I had an additional worry when the laptop would not charge (it did eventually but highlighted how stuck I am without the phone, which I rarely use, and internet access). I mostly rested on Saturday and resolved to wear a mask. I had a message from DS2 saying he'd booked a meal for 12.30 pm and I decided I'd go to that and just have soup and ice cream if that was all I could manage.

I took my time getting ready on Sunday, spent some time looking for the books and toys I was taking (+ a bag of gifts from mum's cousin). Whilst looking for the items I found 3 more boxes of kitchen stuff and my smartphone (bought at the same time as the missing phone but never set up. I now have lots of empty kallax cubes and 2 with small amounts of stuff but several part filled boxes to sort through.

They picked me up (this meant DS2 had to fold his 6'4" frame into the back seat between the baby seat and the toddler seat). It also meant that I couldn't take my walker because the baby's pram was in the boot, so walking stick only all day. My grand-daughter was a happy to hold my hand as we crossed the pub car park (leaving her parents to juggle the baby paraphernalia). We waited for them inside and found our table in a small alcove half way down the pub. We settled on a shared Sunday lunch and a pizza for small grand-daughter and it was all delicious. GD was lively but well behaved - her preferred method of moving was crawling under the table to emerge on the other side but we shared lots of hugs and I had a walk up and down the pub with her.

DS2 went out to the car for my bag of goodies, which were well received. Some bay of e purchased Bluey items (the family car which a couple of her friends have but she didn't), 3 Bluey story books and a book of Paddington stories. The last item was a small Bluey play house and I've said that next time I go to their house we will try to make a 'tree' and turn it into Bluey's tree house (got my Blue Peter vibe on). I asked if they still had wild bird seed - they'd used it up the day before feeding birds at the park (they shared it with 2 other families). I've said I'll take more and also some dried mealworms for the baby birds. The large container of worms is doing double duty as a water butt stand. The butt's been empty for weeks but this week it's filled to 4" from the brim so I couldn't move it. I aske about something else I've bought for her birthday (8th July). It's a bug hunter kit but I wanted to know if they'd any plans to go to the posh camping dome place with lodges, in which case she could have it to take with her.

They asked about DS3. I asked about DS1 - they'd told me not to tell DS1 and his wife when they gave me the baby scan photo because darling d-i-l really wants babies and DS1 is being persuaded in inches. I asked DS2 about them when he sent me hospital pictures of the birth as I was still trying not to spill the beans but apparently they did tell them about 3 weeks before the birth. DS1 has now agreed to 1 baby and they've asked about hand me downs. Daughter-out-law tried to press them on when they wanted them (first size Moses basket and a number of other items could be available in 2 weeks possibly) - 2 weeks, 2 months, 5 years - because their storage space is limited. We discussed plans for playroom, living room storage and children's bedrooms (involving room swaps?) and I've told them how much I'll contribute (I bought a second hand nursing chair when GD1 was born and I'd decide independently that what they most needed was storage especially as GD1 will be going into a big girl bed and will have small pieces toys that will need to be kept away from GD2.

We'd decided to go to the Country Park. They wanted to bring me home for a big coat as it was raining but my thick cardi was quite warm and I assured them that I wouldn't spoil. DS2, GD1 and I went in the car, D-o-l strapped on the baby papoose and walked via the canal (she needed to get her steps in).

We watched the birds (and dogs) playing in the water, GD1 wore her wellies and puddle jump suit so waded through puddles, climbed on logs, ate ice creams. They walked down to the children's play area. I stayed on my bench (I'd been to the toilets and back and everything was starting to ache). I've decide not to dwell on the CP map which was bounded by 2 main roads, the canal bank and the path through 2 farms and the far side of the flash - this used to be my regular morning walk). When the bench became uncomfortable I moved to the large tree trunk which was slightly higher. DS2 came back with the baby, D-o-l had stayed to play with GD1 for a bit longer. Nappies and clothes were changed (they planned to take everything out of the boot at home as the baby had been sick on everything that missed the dirt and ice cream) and we all came home. 

I stripped off my shoes and I ankle bandage, ate and then slept until 2 am. Ravenously hungry so ate again and fell asleep again. At 5.00 am I ate, took my pills then brushed my teeth and had a shower (so I could sleep again guilt free). I' going to eat the pub lunch doggie bag and then I'll potter round doing the obvious things for a while (+ WM and charge the smartphone).

Grateful for sons and grand-daughters, a blackbird in the garden and a pied wagtail playing by the water's edge. 

DawnW

Sounds like a lovely day was had @grandmanerd

Busy day here. OH has been moaning about his chair for ages so we went charity shopping for a 'new' one. We didn't find a suitable one (comfy but not too big) in the furniture charity shops but wandered into an outlet for a very posh brand in the next town and bought a new one for about the same price as the far poorer quality secondhand ones in the charity shops   

Also had lunch out, just a sandwich but a rare occurrence for us.

Brought the chair back with us and struggled to get it through our narrow hallway, but did it in the end. Had enough now, and god help if he moans about his chair / back in the near future!  Luckily I can perch anywhere, though the floor is a bit more difficult these days.

So definitely not a NSD, and I now need to rehome his old chair, which is a bit faded but fine for most people. I would keep it if I had the space. I will probably put it on a local FB group free to collect, but just waiting to see if local friends / relatives would like it first.

I haven't done much else apart from washing my hair.

Dinner will be pesto pasta with whatever veg needs using up in the fridge.

I need to clean and tidy as DS and DDL are coming for dinner tomorrow.

Also need to do some watering in the garden.

Grateful for being at home now!.

dizzyblnd

Can I join again this month? Feel myself slipping slightly off balance and want to quickly regain. Busy with work but need to get back to some basics- cooking more at home, selling bits. Really need to enjoy life more. No holiday this year to look forward to so need to find joy in normality. 

Starting off with a nsd today. Cooked dinner at home and tidied the kitchen. 

Thrifty_Taylor

NSD#2

A day spent weeding in the garden, followed by a walk with DH after tea. Had a couple of visitors during the day.

Grateful for clothes dried on the washing line, another border weeded, my bed in a minute 🤣

apple_muncher

Hey Thrifty - thanks for joining us this month. Hugs and a free pass to the chaise longue x

KajiKita

Pacing myself in work a bit more atm (I'm in a new and complex role and actually I am usually 'cooked' by 2pm each day - I'm 'forgiving' myself for this and easing down the pace in the afternoons where I can) and allowing myself to 'play' each evening by attempting to learn to crochet. Managed a respectable sample of double crochet last night and hope to do the same with treble crochet this evening. I am noticing that since starting crocheting last thing in the evening, I am sleeping soooo much better

KK