Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 9: 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.

We got up a bit later today and we have eaten turkey stew for lunch. It was delicious. I am roasting a large beef tomorrow. House is untidy but we relaxed and watched Harry Potter this afternoon. Had phone call with in-laws and FiL is feeling a bit better today.

I had to google Christmas Crackers. I thought they were a baked treat of some kind. I have seen them here, but for kids' birthday parties, not Christmas.

I love the term Yank. Though I'd never use it for fear of causing offence.

It's not offensive to me in the slightest, but I'm a northerner. In the American south, northerners are often referred to as Yankees, usually not fondly. There are still a lot of hard feelings about losing the civil war, nurtured by the "lost cause" mythology that being able to own people as chattel slaves really wasn't so bad and that things were fine until the Yankees showed up. More here.

Lost Cause of the Confederacy

Thanks for the good wishes everyone. I have mentioned my status in recovery dozens of times on MN, but within threads where people are struggling with an alcoholic family member or friend, so it's not a secret. Addiction is a medical condition, not a personal failing. I think there's more understanding of that in the US than in the UK so it's less stigmatized here. I haven't had the slightest desire to drink in over 20 years and I was sober when I met DH. I do appreciate that he took a real chance on me and am quite grateful that he did.

We have a small bird feeder outside my front window and now a large number of sparrows that nest in the jasmine hedge next to it. We also have a pair of possibly wood mice that also use it. They amuse me greatly and are smart enough to stick round the back where passers by can't see them. DH and I have halfheartedly discussed ways to stop them, then concluded if anyone mentioned them we would feign ignorance and deal with the problem at that point

In a similar vein, our sparrows don't fly away when they see us but are very nervy if anyone else walks by. This pleases me greatly and I also feel a little flattered by their trust in us

There was a whole family of blue jays and another of cardinals up north last summer. The parents would fight over access to the feeder!

I know what you mean about the term "Yankee" @MissConductUS. I've spent a lot of time in Florida and would never use it down there! The Canadian nickname "Canuck" does not raise hackles the same way, unless you are maybe talking about/to someone from Quebec. Or Newfoundland & Labrador.

Also thank you for sharing about your recovery journey. I'm sure it has helped many posters on here. The wonder of MN at work.

An early night would have been sensible EggNog but common sense is in short supply here. Both the kids are also awake At least the cat is super happy with her new mattress and sleeping.

Getting ready for day of clearing old house. Schedule is currently 8am chest of drawers brought back yesterday gets moved from car boot in. Phone Clearabee and see what time they are coming.

DH goes down to old house and puts rubbish out for them. I've just been checking if old dining tables and chairs ever sell on ebay, we don't want money for it, but want rid of it but would be good to rehome it quickly and covid safely. Not sure how we will photo it here without other things / cat appearing. May just do Freecycle but last time did that person cancelled about 3 times / didn't turn up.

I feel less dizzy but a bit breathless and bit of a cough but I often have that and it started way before covid. I'm taken my vitamins with iron in as I'm low in folate etc

What a palavar!

Wanted to get a birthday (for me) to bring to the office today. I could not get one yesterday morning as I was doing the laundry before work. I got out at eight pm and had checked online which M&S wold be open. Apparently the Cromwell Rd one in South Ken was. I haven't been there since I worked in the area years ago. But off I went. Couldn't find the shop so went into a tiny Tesco Express and bought some ordinary cakes there - well, a lemon drizzle cake, a chocolate one and some small cupcakes. I couldn't get them this morning as I have to get the bus at 06.00 and not much open then. I should have got them after Christmas but did not think of it.

The good news though is that I have got my glasses on today. Yesterday, work was hard without being able to see phone numbers and trying to put people through!! My eyes must be really wrinkly from all the squinting!

Was M&S open there yesterday? I was quite excited when my local supermarket reopened its doors this morning and shot through just after 7am.

We need black bin bags.

Good morning! Dull and drizzly here, Tesco delivery arrived, washing is on and cup of tea is next to me, have just realised though we have had no post for nearly 2 weeks 😐

Good morning all.

Chilly here today. I have just set the thermostat that we got with the new boiler. I hadn't got round to it, so for the last week I've been doing a sprint downstairs to turn the heating on and then diving back into bed to wait for it to warm up. It's been unbearably

Cold the last couple of mornings, so today I sorted it.

Managed to hit post too soon AGAIN.

Our mundane news this morning is that Henry hoover made easy work of all the Xmas tree needles, we took it down this morning with 'help' from the kids.

Good morning, I have braved it to go to local greengrocers this morning yes, they do still exist! And bought a box of of vitamin C in the form of satsumas and some other fruit. I will share the box with my sister who lives nearby.

Christmas decorations coming down today here. Tree is in the back garden and will be picked up by our local hospice (for a donation) next week.
I am on strict instructions to check for any stray decorations / cards around the house, as we found one in mid January last year and we don't need any bad luck this year!

Taswama We will be doing a thorough sweep to find all decorations too. In previous years we have found the wreath on the front door 2 days after everything has been returned to the loft. We’ve had a small framed Christmas cross-stitch on the mantle piece for the whole of this year. I told DH if it went in a drawer it would never be reunited with the other decorations. Our tree is coming down later today. The cross-stitch will be going in the decorations box, I will make sure of it.

Good morning all. It's cold and drizzly/misty here too this morning. I only ran 2.5 miles instead of three as I really wanted to get home and warm up.

Cake and presents for DH last night were very nice. DC both got him amazon gift cards vouchers, which I thought showed a lack of effort. To be fair, he's not that easy to buy presents for. DS sent his electronically yesterday, so a bit last minute too. He usually wakes up a bit sad the day after his birthday, so I'll have to keep an eye on that. Another year older and all that.

We'll take our tree and decorations down today too, which will make Dboycat sad, as he likes to hide under it.

@kittlesticks - I just learned what Henry Hoover is this week when I saw a thread where a woman was complaining that she got one for Christmas from her DH.

Good morning all.

Woke up dizzy again this morning and with Kylie's I'm spinning around playing in my head, not sure which was most annoying. Had a cup of tea and less spinny now. Now have hick-ups.

DH has brought chest of drawers in with DD but they didn't know where to put it so just left it on first floor where 3rd bedroom will be but isn't yet for now.

Clearabee were due to arrive at old hosue at 12pm to 6pm, so suggested to DH I ask them when and maybe go down there early if they are early but they couldn't tell me. Then they message to say they are arriving at 11.15am at 11.10am. I have to message back to say sorry we won't be there before 12pm. DH hasn't got anything ready for them yet as he assumed they would come at 6pm and its been a bit frantic anyway. So would imagine there will be quite a bit of rubbish left and we'll need to get them back again which is our fault but a bit annoying as £60 call out charge.

DD is making a vegan breakfast for me and her, DS refuses to have anything cooked by his sister. It's hash browns, beans, toast, mushrooms and orange juice with bits - really nice of her. DS is horrified by the vegan theme as well - his ideal English breakfast would be lots of sausages and bacon and toast and hash browns.

DD also got some kiwis and oranges but we are hiding them from DS as he eats all fruit in sight and makes himself ill, he says its worth it but not sure its good for him, there's already oranges from before he can have.

Sorry about the dizziness @Silkiechickscat, I had an inner ear infection a couple of years ago and when I got up in the morning I used to reel around the bedroom like a human pinball, bouncing of different surfaces. It righted itself after about a week.

I am not taking the Christmas decorations down for at least a couple of days as I want to rearrange the loft a bit.

Watched Dr Who last night - put Captain Jack in charge of the Tardis, that's what I say!

'off' not 'of'

Thanks Forget

DS has given the chickens a kiwi for the first time, they just looked at him and the kiwi suscipiously. He was very excited - will see later if they've been brave enough to eat it.

Just had another message that Clearabee are on the way again which is a better time, hopefully DH has cleared some things back now - its only shoving things in sacks quickly.

@Silkiechickscat hope you feel better soon - dizziness sucks.
@MissConductUS I missed that thread about the Henry hoover as a gift! We had to get a Henry because our other hoover is one of those battery handheld ones, and we've just moved and have quite a bit more room, handheld hoover cuts out too fast.
Kids like Henry because of his funny face.

Dizziness is no fun Silkie - hope it passes soon!

A chilly one here, I asked DH to drop me off in spring for my run, but he said he couldn’t. So I listened to a birdsong based album and pretended instead. It was lovely, although extremely muddy in places!

Now watching Up with DS. I love Russell and Doug so much

Oh dizziness is horrible and so draining too - I hope it goes very soon, @SilkiesnowchicksandXmastreecat. I had a couple of bouts of it last year and the first time it happened, it scared me so much.

GP and audiologist thought it may be an inner ear issue and suggested these exercises: and .

In the days before smartphones were a thing, someone kidnapped DH's Henry Hoover from his van and took him on holiday. We received a number of delightful photos of him on the beach, at the amusement arcade, in a deckchair, earring fish and chips etc