NST May 2026 Hitting Rock Bottom

Rowan9

Glad a lovely day for the wedding.
Quick one tonight

Grateful for

Easy reheats for tea, with more veg

Laughter at work, was so good

Buses came quickly to and from work

Have a good evening all

DawnW

My boiler has packed up, which is annoying and probably expensive. The heating engineer is coming tomorrow. Lucky it isn't in the dead of winter I suppose, though it is certainly chilly enough. Contemplated lighting the wood stove, but fetched an electric radiator down from the loft conversion instead. It is only small, but takes the edge off. We are lucky enough to have an electric shower in the loft conversion ensuite, the washing machine and dishwasher heat their own water, and it is easy enough to boil a kettle for smaller tasks. Just as well, as it won't necessarily be an easy fix and I don't know how long it will take to source new parts - or a new boiler 🙄

Wish it would warm up a bit, especially at night. We came very close to having a frost the last couple of nights, and I have been rushing around trying to protect plants by covering them up with old towels and anything else I can find. I have also put the winter duvet back on the bed, as I was cold in bed last night and it prevented me from sleeping most of the night. 😒

Very cold wind during the day too!

Shopping done today, and I have a meat and fish delivery tomorrow to top up the freezer.

Washed some clothes that I intend to list on ebay - I have lost some weight and they no longer fit. I will photograph them tomorrow. I have already sold a couple of dresses for not much - but every little helps, and I like to declutter things I can't use any more.

A couple of little gardening jobs done this afternoon.

Grateful for the nice heating guy being able to come tomorrow to at least find out what the problem is!

Sallyp2

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81996207#Comment_81996207

be sure to offer a cuppa - had a repair man out a few weeks ago and he said it was lovely to be offered one. I gave him one to go in his travel mug as well. Seems they don't get many offers

he repaired my washing machine and filled the guarantee reason form so i had no excess to pay x

beanielou

A sad day today. A dear friend’s husband has gone into a home today. The end of a chapter after 38 years.

grandmanerd

Hugs beanie (pass some on to your friend)

I've made a little progress. I received an appointment letter yesterday but the post came after lunch and the appointment was 10 am so I phoned them up. She apologised and said the Community Link Worker would get back to me in the next 2 days. She phoned early this morning and I now have an appointment in June. She apologised but it's partly because she's away on a fortnight's holiday. I said I was happier with appointments spaced out.

I phoned my brother yesterday to let him know about our cousin's death and the funeral arrangements. He has his cancer check up that morning but thinks he will be able to get there if he goes straight from the hospital to the Crematorium.

I've been sorting more rubbish and recycling and have spent an hour in the garden this evening. I rounded up some freezer packs that I've drained, collected empty water bottles and filled a few from the water butt. I'm changing over the bottles I use for drinking from, so putting all the old much used ones outside, filling them from the water butt and will then spread them around the yard so I have water for the plants wherever I need it . I think the sunlight glinting off the bottles also deters stray cats.

I've slept a lot over the past few days since being sick on Saturday (very neatly an I did make it to the bathroom in time). However since I'd just eaten lunch I decided that i'd pushed the eating up all the defrosted food far enough Some things in the fridge went off as I was concentrating on the freezer stuff. I'm going to stick to tinned soup, beans and rice pudding for a few days until I feel better (I had a quick look in the tall freezer and there are a few thimgs in there to add variety). So no big order for me this week. I've decided to base my cooking around the store cupboard and keep fresh stuff (especially expensive stuff like meat) to a minimum.

Just as well because my CPAP face mask has split in two (vertically on the hard plastic mouth plate). I only got it in October. My boiler has been making horrible noises for a couple of weeks. I'm frightened to look - not really but it's awkward to get to it (Mr Builder put a purpose built cover around it when he did te kitchen, but woodwork isn't his strong suit). The list of odd items I need is growing.

Grateful for police drama series (3 on the go atm), my puzzle book and re-reading an old familiar book.

apple_muncher

Hugs from me too, beanie.

Itsbeen a very spring-like day today : sunshine and pelting showers! I'm grateful to have not been caught in the downpours.

today I am also grateful for Pip coming with me to choose some new glasses frames - I'm shifting from varifocals to having one pair for distance and another pair for close work and computer work. Had a scummy fruit salad for pud, and also had a visit from a cat. Life is good!

grandmanerd

Wednesday 13th May 2026

ORCOSCOPE

13th May 2026

Today got petty goblin whisperin in ear

Not big evil. Just lil "say da thing" energy

Da kind where someone annoy you an yer mouth already puttin on armour

Careful. Mouth got no brakes today.

If drama dangle shiny bait, do not bite it with whole face

You can be right and still not wrestle with mud pig

Today favour da orc who walk away proud,

then mutter one perfect insult where nobody hear

Dat called growth. Mostly.

ORC WIZZDUM

"Peace is good. Quiet revenge face is also good"

grandmanerd

Mrs Builder came. She did her thing with the kitchen and shower room. I finished putting away the candles in small boxes in the bureau. Then the tissues, light bulbs, face masks, stray box of staples put with the stapler.

Then Mrs Builder came and swept and mopped the strip beside my bed and then made the bed (I'd washed everything but it was still in the kitchen). I sorted out my favourite trolley. The addition of the small upright votives worked really well for eye drops, cotton buds, lip salve etc. Did the second layer (much reduced because one pack of fabric plasters and other things were now on the top layer) and then the bottom - room for current water bottle on the bottom and cup fits snuggly on the top.

In the process I found the bite spray and the card reader so I can check my bank account, move things around and make a couple of donations. I've finally started to move the 'store cupboard' big order through to the kitchen. I filled a large batch of reused bottles from the water butt and did a little more weeding. I'd started a washing load, told Mrs Builder to add her cleaning cloths. She set it going before she left. I put out 2 dresses and a big towel before getting weary. I was sleepy before but the shower I had woke me up. Dozed for a couple of hours. Ate, brought in the washing (the rest is mainly cleaning cloths and tea towels, will dry in under an hour if I can get them out).

Mrs Builder is on holiday now and will come again on June 3rd. I'm still walking well and hoping to get on with the garden (not sure how long it will last, I wake each day expecting the improvement to have vanished as swiftly as it came).

DS3 came down and had a mini rant about the freezer (not having room for the 12 curries he wants to order to get him through the month). Repeated what I had said about running down the freezer contents and swapping the positions of the freezer and fridge freezer (he's the one who struggles to squeeze round - the freezer is narrower so will give him more room). First he argued that there was no where to put them so that one could bypass the other. Then he decided he could swap them over as they are, after I'd explained a successful swap strategy. Then he went back to having no food. We've decided he will try the pizza I bought for myself (I've had more pizza in the past week than I normally have in a year) and does like the spicy chicken strips (plus he has soup and spaghetti noodles - did we have bread?). He discussed pizza making - he is willing to eat all these things if I cook them (plus my hm chicken curry).

Grateful for walking well, getting a lot done despite being awake half the night, finding things I need.

Rowan9

sorry to hear that Beanie. Must be very hard for them both.
Grateful this evening for

Sunshine now after lots of heavy showers during the day

Laughter at work, silliness really but good belly laughs

Easy tea of tinned salmon, hard boiled eggs, sweet potatoes carrots and broccoli.

I’m keeping an eye on spends. Glad the heating hasn’t been on for a while.

Following the turtle threads has been good for me. Thank you turtles.

beanielou

@Rowan9. Glad you are finding the thread helpful.
It’s cold here. I’m grumpy & tired. Bah.
My pain is quite high