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.

@MissConductUS, will you get your US citizenship removed for saying that you are lukewarm on peanut butter?! perhaps it’s a deliberate ploy to come and live in the UK 😊

Peanut butter was nearly a marriage stumbling block for us. DH was brought up in Malaysia and peanut butter is popular there, I wasn't brought up with it at all (Ireland) and can't stand the smell of it. I insisted that peanut butter would never be allowed in my house, DH was sure that I would get used to it with exposure. I won! We've had a 30 year, peanut-butter-free marriage.

I am working my through a box of maple & pecan Matchmakers while watching junior bake off. They’re a revelation, hopefully not too exciting for this thread though!

@Nydj - If I were a child it would seem very odd that I didn't like it, but not as an adult. In the US it's seen as primarily a kids food. It would be considered a bit odd for an adult to favor peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, for example. My citizenship is safe, and while I could easily get a tourist visa to visit the UK I'm sure actually immigrating would be more challenging.

@Sunbird24 That's not too exciting for me, but I had to google them to find out what they are. You have a lot of candy in the UK that's not sold here.

I'm off for a quick shop at the warehouse club, then this afternoon we have to drop off DH's Subaru for its 6k mile service and to have the snow tires put on.

I was given Matchmakers for Christmas. I was very excited as I unvieled the word 'orange' but it was swiftly followed by disappointment as further unwrapping revealed '& mint'. I can't stand mint chocolate.
I forgot to put the milkman's Christmas gift of wine out on Christmas Eve, so I put the Matchmakers in a bag with it and left it out on Monday night. My milk was there and the bag was gone on Tuesday morning.

DH is taking the DC and himself for haircuts this afternoon.

I've had good news from my brother. He, my SIL and nephew tested postive for Covid the weekend before Christmas. My SIL and DN have been fine, but it's knocked my brother for six and he was admitted to hospital on the 27th. He was on oxygen and steroids. Yesterday they reduced his oxygen to 10l and today he's been reduced to 4l, his SATS are 95% and he's moved from a full face mask to the nose tube thingy, so he's feeling better for that.

Sorry to hear your brother has been so ill with covid EggNog Glad to hear he's improving. It's odd the way it barely affects some people yet severely affects others.

Was up watching 90 day fiance last night and Below Deck Series 8 and slept in this morning. About to have a late lunch of scrambled eggs and smoked salmon. DH is trying to muster energy to go to old house to collect another piece of furniture, we are trying to desperately beat new restrictions so house sale can go through. At least allowed atm. But old area has second highest rates in the country of covid, have told DH not to go in any shops there but have to keep reminding him. We have a rubbish collection there on 2nd so we are hoping can get down then.

Thanks Silkie. He's just messaged the family group again. He had been told he was in until the weekend, but tr doctor says he might be able to go home tomorrow now as he's doing so well.

Wanted to pass on something I was told by one of my colleagues this week. EHIC cards are valid until expiry, even after Brexit. You can renew (or get a new one) for free online until the 31st of December, and they'll be valid for five years. I've just ordered new ones for all four of us. It was doubly helpful as I can't find our current ones.

www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/startApplication.do

That's good he can come home early as long as well enough EggNog

Just listening to announcements and DS told me isles of scilly is pronounced isles of silly - he appears to be right, only Tier 1 area now.

DH is just bringing the table and chairs in he got last night and then going down to old house but will just get bed back and come home.

This will not go down well with the cat especially as DS is ignoring the bathroom ban she put him on whilst DH is away. She goes beserk if DH is out and DS is in the bathroom and howls so whole street can hear until DS is out. DS loves it that she cares. She'll be happy DH has brought her back a second dining table. Our house here will look like a house with a hoarding issue (at least for dining tables) when we get everything back but only way to do things atm with lockdown.

Eggy, sorry to hear about your brother but if his O2 saturation is at 95% and they've moved him to a nasal cannula he's turned the corner. If they leave him on dexamethasone for a time be aware that it can affect mood and cognition. It's not a benign medication.

Good news eggy, fingers crossed he continues to improve.

No Covid result yet but feel pretty grotty, more "cold" grotty than anything else but the cough will make me a deeply suspicious work companion. I'm in tomorrow night so hope it will be back (and negative!) soon.

In other Covid news, we are going to tier 3 but with the other half of the county going into tier 4 (which will make work fun) Our New Years Day breakfast is now cancelled and our weekend away in Cornwall as well. Not unexpected and small fry in the scale of what others have suffered, but I'm a little peeved nonetheless.

Thank you @EggNogPegg, that’s really helpful about the ehic cards and I’m glad your brother is doing better. It must have been scary for you all.

I am with you on mint chocolates not being nice. I got sucked in and bought some gingerbread matchmakers only to find the taste very disappointing.

On the controversial issue of peanut butter, I love it and would happily eat peanut butter and jam sandwiches as well as almost anything else with peanut butter in it. DH, on the other hand, hates it but thankfully, I am allowed to have jars of the gorgeous stuff in the house as it’s the taste and texture he finds unpleasant rather than the smell.

Nydj no it seems to spread on - on warm toast. Don't know how it would work on cold bread.
Eggy I'm a bit like that with marmite, I neither love it nor hate it & have it rarely but when I do have it I enjoy it.

I love mint chocolate, but excellent regifting Eggnogg !

I've been out for a walk/run. Cautious walk/run on snowy/icy pavements until I got to the woods then ran twice around it (almost 5k - used by local parkrun), then cautious walk/run home again.

DC's riding lesson was cancelled due to the ground being too hard.

@EggNogPegg Oh blimey, I’m sorry your dbro has been so unwell. Glad to hear he’s on the mend now.

@MissConductUS Speech therapy around here is all but impossible to get. However the school are applying for an EHCP for DS which will be a legal document requiring DS to get whatever support he’s assessed as needing - including speech therapy if that’s part of the package. I’m also going to volunteer as a parent rep for a local charity advocating for children with additional needs so at least I’ll be able to stick it to the local authorities every so often.

Another chilly day today - we’ve had the fire going all day though, as we had to have all the windows open for DS’s therapy! So that’s taking the edge off the temperature.

Eggy I’m glad to hear your brother is so much better. You must have had a very worrying few days.

I have missed all of today’s government news conferences but will catch up now.

I bought a pretty bag of wrapped pistachio soft amaretti earlier in the fancy deli near our house, my first time in there and probably my last. £9!!! By the point she had put them through the till I had already visualised eating one with a latte to hand, so paid up in shock. There are only 11 in the bag. 😮 I am trying to rationalise the purchase by comparing the per biscuit cost with the price of single serving cantucci biscuits in Caffe Nero and my local independent coffee shop.

School closed to both mine until 18th, primaries back on 4th. Ahh, the joys of home schooling again though hospitals are over 100% occupancy here so would prefer to avoid covid.

DH left the cats bowl stuffed full, so far that seems to have worked, I have a theory a totally stuffed cat can't howl.

I like chocolate, full stop. Orange, mint, chilli, you name it

Took the car in for new tires and brake work this morning. DMum was supposed to drive me over to the shop but we had like 3cm of snow overnight so she used that as an excuse not to! DH stepped up to the plate instead and we borrowed her minivan. I could have taken an Uber both ways but really trying to avoid contact with anyone outside our bubble.

DH found out yesterday that one of his colleagues has tested positive. However the last time they saw each other was 16 December or something so I think we are ok. Hopefully.

I dashed out to go shopping when it was announced that we’re going into tier 4. I then only went to essential shops and bought essential things. Why did I bother?

Did some grocery shopping.
Put the linen onto the new shelves in the airing cupboard.
Definitely both dull and unexciting.
Remembered to light today's "12 Days of Christmas " candle. They're a bit disappointing to be honest, pretty bland and the wick burns out long before all the wax has gone, but they weren't massively expensive so no harm done.

Silkiecat hasn't noticed DH isn't here - the extra dining table and chairs are a very exciting but wierd new climbing frame for cats as DH left the chairs upside down and the stuff Silkiecat silly before leaving strategy so far successful, not a peep from her so far.

Dentist's office called to remind me of my appointment on the 4th.

DH started to do the end of year clean up (filing, accounts, back ups etc.). He does this every year and as it's not work (i. e. fun) and connetcted to actual paper, he is not happy.

The best place to eat Matchmakers is def. at the theatre when they eventually reopen.

Are sweets and chocolate both called candy in the US?

If you exclude baked goods, sweets and chocolate are both referred to as candy in the US.

Thank you all for your lovely well wishes. DBro has updated the family WhatsApp to tell us that he's down to 2l of oxygen, which is very positive.
I've not been too worried, but I'm not a worrier by nature. My dad on the other hand has been frantic. We're spread across the country and my dad and step mum are about a 4.5 hour drive from them. DBro and SIL are in current T4, so there's nothing they could do anyway.

In tier news, dad, stepmum and MIL are moving to T4, we are moving to T3, DBro and SIL will remain in T4. I wonder if you're close-ish to me @Champagneforeveryonewith your half and half county.

Today I took down the Christmas trees in the DC bedroom, tided their rooms, and vacuumed the stairs and all of upstairs. It took me two attempts to do the stairs as I had it on max, so it died halfway up the stairs. I cleaned the kitchen whilst I waited for it to charge. DH and the DC were at the barbers. DH no longer has a mullet.

Ouch @soddingkitten. That is steep. We've all been there, being too polite to say anything at the till. Savour them!

Haven't read the thread. Sorry. But would like to share that son, who is furloughed has just got a job. Furloughed job is seasonal, though his bit usually goes through the winter. Looking like they won't get furlough payments. Son might, but grim for everyone else. He applied for fifty jobs in a month at the beginning of the second lockdown. Nothing.

Independent burger joint which gets universally 5 stars on tripadvisor.

DS is a really good worker, and great with customers and they are lucky to have him (says Mum)

A little ray of light.