Ninja Saving Turtles Challenge August 2025

DawnW

NSD #3 for me today.as I have been at work all day, so no chance to spend 

Came home, potted some plants that needed doing, picked half a colander full of cherry tomatoes. I have several bowls full now, at various stages of ripeness. I will have to make sauce with the ripest ones at the weekend. I make roasted tomato sauce for the freezer.

I will need to do the watering after dinner, which OH is cooking (reheating really). Also need to feed the French beans to encourage more.

Grateful today for OH doing the dinner!

Thrifty_Taylor

Thanks ladies. The boat leaves just before midnight, hopefully we'll get some sleep 🤞 Was asking DH if he's going to take a travelsickness tablet, as he's not been on this boat since 1997 🤣 whenever he's had hospital appointments in Aberdeen, he's always flown!
Have a lovely time with your sis tomorrow @Rowan9.

NSD#4
Did exercises. Managed to get DS2 an emergency dentist appointment, so headed to town midmorning for that. Made a packed lunch for me & DH,.then we avoided the local agricultural show & walked to DS1's favourite place. @10 mile round trip. Our legs were aching when we got home.

DS3 & his friend had been at the show, a lovely friend from work sent me a video of DS on a scary looking ride. He returned with a very large (over 2ft tall) cuddly Highland cow, which he'd bought for £50!! That boy thinks money grows on trees! Pleased it's paid from his wages, not the bank of m & dad!

Did some knitting after tea & watched the end of a series.

Grateful for DS getting an emergency appointment so quickly, it staying dry on our long walk, friends who send videos, DS3 having fun

The wind is currently gusting down the chimney & I can hear heavy rain on the windows. Hopefully it'll blow over before our trip tomorrow night!

grandmanerd

Friday 8th August 2025

9 Things to Tell Yourself Before Bedtime Tonight
1)   I did my best today, and that is enough
2)   I am allowed to rest without guilt
3)   Tomorrow is a fresh start
4)   I am grateful for the little moments of joy today
5)   I release all thoughts that no longer serve me
6)   I am safe. I am loved. I am at peace
7)   My body and mind deserve deep rest
8)   I trust that everything is unfolding as it should
9)   I let go of stress and welcome calm
(@lunagracemanifesting)

apple_muncher

grandmanerd said:

Thursday 7th August 2025
... Honour yourself when you need a moment
(spirituality.org)

I read this as 'Honour yourself when you need a monument'!

DawnW

Today will be a NSD, unless the GCs turn up and want something that I haven't got 

Second wash load is on the go, and the first lot is blowing outside on the line.

Roasted tomatoes with garlic, oil and chilli for sauce, now sieved and in the freezer, and I gave the basil a haircut and made pesto. I will freeze most of that later, unless the GCs want it for lunch. It is one of their faves.

Spent an hour clearing in the garden, and am now sitting in a heap.

I will need to peg out the final load of washing shortly.

There will be ironing to do this afternoon, and I may do more garden clearing. It is very dry, and there seems to be no prospect of rain for the foreseeable future. Even when the neighbouring towns had a big storm and torrential rain last week, we merely got a bit of drizzle. I have plants to plant out in the garden, but think they are probably easier to look after in their pots while it is so dry.

grandmanerd

Mrs Builder came so the kitchen and bathroom have been restored to order, all the washing has been line dried and mostly put away, last 2 portions of stew went in the fridge and we spent some time in the garden, filled 2 rubbish bags (not all mine, some has blown in) and 2 x 50 l tub of weeds. 

Mr Builder came to collect her and was annoyed that rubbish belonging to No 8 is still at my end of the backs, so they moved it all back to the top end. They took an old kitchen chair of mine to feed their wood burner and a bunch of poppy heads I've been drying - they both admired mine when they were in bloom. 

Mrs Builder had an interview for one of the jobs she applied for (she'd forgotten about it) so next week she'll be squeezing me in between 3 days in a corner shop and having her 2 grandsons on the days when both their parents are working.

There was an event I would have liked to go to but I knew it would be a stretch and decided this morning that I wouldn't go.

Grateful for garden improvements (and the backs), clean bedding on the couch, stupid films (best of a bad bunch, action films with very silly plots)

Rowan9

This morning we had a trip along the Clyde in The Waverley the last seagoing paddle steamer left in the world! How fab! Fascinating seeing the engine room working, all gleaming too. 

Been enjoying summer holiday at home this year and couple trips out. It has been a money saving summer! 

Back to work tomorrow after a week off but I’m wfh for the day. 

Soup made yesterday is in fridge and will last couple days. I have salad ingreds and tuna also chickpeas to make up easy lunches for taking to work from Tuesday. 

Thrifty I think you might be back home after your trip to Aberdeen. Hope you’re ok. 

Today I’m grateful for lovely scenery from the boat, just enjoying being on it, DD walking our dog for us, watching the wind in the trees from my window here. 

grandmanerd

A rather disappointing day.. Woke up under par - Ds3 has been coughing and my cough/ sore throat has reappeared. I was being cautious because my pills did not arrive on Friday and I split 2 of yesterday's meds between yesterday and today.

DS1 dropped in this afternoon, DS3 knew but hadn't told me he was coming. Final settlement on their dad's estate - not great but it's something (DS3 has promised to put it in the house deposit and not spend it). DS1 is unhappy (very critical) about my kitchen and my life generally. I should tell them my plans and they will make suggestions, help where they can (except DS2 wants to 'sort my garden' by flattening it to concrete, adding plastic furniture and leaving me a couple of boring bushes to look at). Garden is messy now but it's alive with bees and butterflies.

He also wanted to know why I hadn't bought back mum's bungalow when it was on the market - he says it was reduced from the original price (what I sold it for). I didn't like mum's bungalow - loved the outdoor space but the house was cramped and awkward and the location was problematic with my current level of mobility.

He obviously doesn't like my little house. He also thought I could repair the couches considering how much I paid for them - I'm a bit disappointed that they've only lasted 17 years and I think they should have done 20 years. At one point DS3 joined in and said he found the state of the house depressing.

So was feeling a bit sad and turned to the property pages - grandma's house is back on the market. I've been waiting for it to complete. Wasn't asked, wasn't told and it's listed at 14 k more then the price it was 'sold' for. Short terse phone call with my brother.  Apparently the buyer said the roof needed 4 k of work and wanted a further deduction off the bargain basement price. 

I've resorted to chocolate cake and the muppet movie. Tomorrow is a fresh start. I did find all the bits I needed to put money on my phone and gave DS1, DS2 and my brother the phone number.

Grateful for cough medicine, chocolate and soft things to eat. a fresh start tomorrow.

Thrifty_Taylor

Big hugs @grandmanerd. Sounds like they all have opinions of what you should do, but please concentrate on what you would like. You can listen & take their advice on board, but it is your life to live how you see fit. (Totally agree about your garden being better the way it currently is!)

NSD

Thank you @Rowan9. Yes, we returned home late last night. Arrived in Aberdeen at 7am (managed a little bit of sleep on the reclining chairs), met by the policeman, who took us to buy flowers, then we headed to the site where DS1 died. Unfortunately there were unexpected roadworks where we needed to go, so took 3 attempts to get there! On the third attempt, just around the corner from where we needed to go, a young fox stopped in the middle of the road & stared at us. I've never seen a fox in the flesh before, we don't have them on our islands. Then it walked to the side of the road & stared at us, as we drove past. It's probably a pile of tosh, but I felt it was DS saying hello & acknowledging we were there. Laid the flowers & the stone from his favourite beach, which my mum had written on. Collected some harebells to press & DH took seed pods from some broom, also found a stone near where we laid the flowers, so brought it back with us too. We then went to the police station for a drink & s biscuit, & to collect DS's things.

We were quite weighed down with bags by this point. Walked to the beach, where I'd say with him once before, bought food for the journey home then returned to the train station, as thought there were lockers to leave luggage. Nope! Continued on to one of DS's favourite food places & had lunch, then we bought a doughnut each from the Krispy K place in his honour. We were shattered & it was so hot, do sat on a bench for an hour. Went back to the harbour & got on the boat at 3pm - 2 hours before we started sailing! Was good to find a space to spread out, before it got busy. DS3 slept nearly the whole way home, I had a couple of naps. Helped a Nigerian woman, visiting our islands for the first time (her daughter lives here & just had a baby), & gave a foreign man a lift to his hotel. Home just before midnight.

I'm full of a cold today & my hips have been sore, so had a lazy day. Paid bills, chased up a flight DS1 had booked, but never taken, phoned my mum & FIL, & did some knitting after tea. Messaged the teacher I'll be with from 18th & said I'll be returning to work. It made her day! 

Grateful for the kindness of others, hoping i paid it forward by helping the people on the boat, time to recharge today, that the travel sickness tablets worked, seeing the fox & collecting things from the site to connect us to the place.

Thank you for reading this far, sorry it's a long one, wanted to share the fox story with you

in_need_of_direction

Glad you got some positives from the day. Take care