Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 8: Calmly through the day

[MissConductUS]

I've started a new one. Please join us and share the boring and mundane things happening in your world. It will be calming for all.

I had a text from the pharmacy saying my prescription is ready to collect today. This is good news, as I noticed I was down to my last strip of tablets yesterday (14 days’ supply) and had started to worry new supplies were stuck on a lorry in Calais. Another 3 months’ supply gives everyone a chance to sort our borders out.

Sodding had to be put to bed early last night. Yowling outside of the bathroom door has now extended to yowling on the landing to summon his minions at 11pm AFTER DH and our boys have gone to bed. He’s also discovered the kitchen tap and likes to drink from it. He licks the end if it’s not already running. 🤢

@Squirrel26

I need to pick up a new duvet that I ordered from John Lewis later today. Duvet has a 5 year guarantee. I’m not really sure what it’s guaranteed against as I wasn’t expecting it to have many moving parts.

Perhaps the guarantee is against splitting a seam and covering your bedroom in duck down.

Amazon have just delivered a big sack of dog kibble so that's another thing ticked off the list.

House has been tidied awaiting plumbers, hoping they will come today. Electrician for herre has been paid, awaiting bill for electrician at other house. Solicitor and EA say they are passing electrical certificate on - the electrician had added a first page to it with my name in giant letter and satisfactory which made it look like I'ld won a primary school achievement award.

DH is on the phone speaking in French again - it'll be someone else checking we have food but we have polar bear cake so all is well.

I fixed my own toilet (it had stopped filling), watched a lot of YouTube videos, ordered the part from screwfix and everything. Absolutely thrilled that I’ve done it myself. Just thought I’d share

@Deathraystare

Got on early bus to work this morning My pass did not work. I thought that strange as it is a free pass. I slowly dawned on me that my free pass cannot be used before 9am. Oh dear, my other card is in my handbag. So I now know you can use your bank card without having to use an app or something (which is what I thought). Shame I did not have my handbag with me right? Actually I did it was hanging from my shoulder..........

Oh that made me so happy because I am usually the one to do something like that especially the bit about the handbag being with you all the time - thank you!

I hope all went went at the dentist, @MissConductUS.

I am catching up on webinars at work today.

I’m making a winter spice cake with one DC while packing a picnic lunch to be eaten at a local NT property. The cake is due out of the oven in 10 minutes and we need to leave in 27 minutes to get there in our time slot. Tense times...

Welcome @YakkityYakYakYak and thanks for sharing your calming toilet repair news. DH used to replace the toilet parts as needed but we've replaced two of the three toilets in our house with ones of a completely new design. We'll probably have to call the plumber when those to tits up.

@BatleyTownswomensGuild - how were the Christmas chocolates?

@Nydj - the dentist was fun, but ran a little late so lots of traffic getting home. I brought my Kindle and found a thread on MN about great TV series that only ran one season. It had a recommendation for a BBC Victorian ghost story called The Living and the Dead which is very good indeed.

@EggNogPegg - there was no scolding at the dentist about the brownies because they are so insanely moist and chocolaty that no one cares about dental risk. They just eat them. It's also a large, specialty practice that does prosthodontics. I had my entire mouth reconstructed there in 2015 and 2016. So I've been bringing in the brownies for years. They've also knocked thousands off their fees for me and I think the brownies have a lot to do with it. It's like psychological warfare. So there is a method to my baking madness.

Bill Clinton goes to the same practice but I've never seen him there.

@soddingkitten I had a lovely calico who sadly passed away two years ago who loved sitting in the sink and lapping up the water from the faucet. Her name was Autumn and we miss her very much.

I'm cooling off before my shower and am in no rush as I'm now on annual leave for two weeks.

I managed to get a decent foto of DMil's nativity - she gave it to us when she moved into the care home. The picture will be sent with the cookies.

I went to the chiropractor this morning and on the way back I pass the smaller of our two Waitrose

I expected there to be a large queue and hordes of panic buyers, but there was not a soul outside. Never one to pass up an opportunity, I have completed 99% of our Christmas food shop - I will just need to stop at the hellhole that is the 24hr Tesco on my way home for a vulgarly big tub of chocolates (not a thing in Waitrose apparently, small boxes of single origin chocolates hand whisked by virgins aplenty, but no Heroes) maple syrup for DS's French toast, and more beer.

The stress of when and where to shop between shifts (coupled with my pathological hatred of queuing) is over

Today’s obligatory cat in a box is brought to you by Sodding, who insisted I remove the bag of unwrapped presents that was in it so he could get in.

sodding It is a resourceful and intelligent cat you have there (and a lovely one).

Sev once tried a flower pot for size.

@MissConductUS

Chocs we bloody lovely - lots of nutty praline ones 🙂 Will pay for it in Jan but hey ho.

@Champagneforeveryone - I too dislike lines queues and am an early shopper, partly because I'm up so early every day. I'm about to go out and pick up eggs because we are perilously low on blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes. DS is responsible for that sorry state of affairs.

@Prokupatuscrakedatus - that's a lovely nativity.

@BatleyTownswomensGuild - DH picked up a large bag of Lindt assorted chocolate truffles at the warehouse club and the reason I'm low on eggs is because DS keeps using them to make Christmas cookies. I feel your dilemma.

I am pleased to report that we have a major breakthrough in catbox technology chez Conduct. By opening up the top and bottom, positioning it on its side and putting a few catnip toys inside we have created the box-tunnel, or Bunnel as we call it. Cats can either sit in it or run through it at speed, as you can see in the photo.

@EggNogPegg

Boiler Man has been. He has quoted us £500 more than the manufacturer for before Christmas installation. DH said thanks but no thanks and has now booked a new one to be installed on Christmas Eve.

@MissConductUS, do they not lecture you on sugary treats at the dentist? The dentist the DC went to made it very clear that there were to be No Sweets and chocolate only Twice A Week (we smile and nod and do it anyway)

@soddingkitten Ah Pringles. That's your tea sorted.
We had pizza whilst watching The Goblet of Fire as the DC finished reading it last night. DS1 was affronted that they cut out the actual Quidditch at the World Cup, DS2 said that there wasn't enough action, and just like when we saw it at the cinema, DH and I once again felt that it was too rushed and it makes your head spin. DH commented that the actors even seem to rush their dialogue before it quickly cuts to another scene. All four of us failed to see the need for David Tennant's repeated lizard-esqe tongue movements.

The tongue thing is a giveaway-he does it in character as Moody and his dad spots it and realises. Also spinechilling-DD and I like todo it to each other to freak the other one out!

The mystery of Sodding bellowing on the landing last night has been solved. DS1 said he went for a late wee and then Sodding started yelling outside his door. This is basically what Sodding does on his wakey-wakey tour in the morning to make sure we are all present and correct. Cats don’t operate on the same night/day binary that humans do. Sodding thinks up = fun times.

Sev was somehow connected to the sun. Sunrise - however early or late would wake the cat. Sev would then wake me for food and cuddles.

I’ve just discovered a thing on Spotify called ‘random shipping forecast’ which is literally a random Radio 4 shipping forecast, in 15 minute episodes. It might be the most relaxing thing I’ve ever heard.

Silkiecat was also high maintenance last night - 1am could hear her crying far away. DH went down, she wanted water from one specific tap, no other water would do. DH returned to bed. 5 minutes later she's howling again. DH ignores her and talks to me causing a very cat, how dare she come second even if only for 5 minutes. Plus when did she agree sleep was allowed for her preferred servant.

No sign of plumber yet but messaged and just running late. Sent a few Merry Christmas messages but a bit wierd this year as it's like I'm doing nothing then I'm doing nothing too back. Slightly awkward as its all people in Tier 4 when we are Tier 2 not that we are doing anything they can't. Too busy with house sale and works.

Iced the Christmas cake today and took DS and ddog for a walk. Found out I didn’t get an interview for one of the jobs I applied for, so feeling really flat and low now.

Went for a very muddy walk. DH making tacos now.

Will take dd to see Christmas lights after dinner.

Watched the Polar Express - surprisingly scary, I think?

Bad luck spudlet

Sorry to hear about the job Spudlett I can recommend eating cake to cheer yourself up as long as you avoid scales

The plumber is here. Plumber said you'll need new taps - DH said oh my wife bought some new taps, I'm not sure if she bought the wrong ones, here they are. Plumber said those are the right taps. Phew thought they would be as I paid a bit more to get high and low pressure ones as wasn't sure what ours is and DH will pretend he knows and its 50-50 chance.

DD is painting her room more and asked me to order more white paint and I also ordered some rose gold coat hooks she wanted.

Plumber phoned and told us he would be here in 25 mins so I got him to warn DS 25 mins to use toilet as DS is a keen toilet user and of course DS goes to toilet exactly when plumber arrives. I remember a boat trip once where DS went to the toilet every 5 minutes or so and was singing really loudly, first time I ever saw a men's toilet with a queue.

We went to the drive in movies last night to see Home Alone 2, DD's choice. I tried to get everyone to boo for Trump's cameo appearance, but there wasn't much enthusiasm. I like to think that people in other cars were booing, but I'll never know as I couldn't hear them. The DC squabbled for the entire second half of the film, it was just like a normal family trip out from pre-Covid times. Then we agreed that it was probably the worst of all the Home Alone films and went home.