Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 21: 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.

Here is the link to the prior thread:

Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 20: Calmly through the day

I walked in a local wooded area. It was a bit muddy so good thing i put my walking boots on.

Nydj alle the best to your sweetpeas (Wicken). My last lot got killed off by mildew.
Next week we will start on the herbs (of sauce fame), chilis, tomatoes, borage and wildflowers. There are bee hives on the roof of a house in my "Carrée" - I have to provide food.

Spudlet, your level of activity is very impressive. I, on the other hand, took a nap this afternoon.

Welcome, @Winky1, and thanks for sharing your ambulation news.

We're zooming shortly with the kids and MIL. Hopefully, DS will have decided to take the job in NYC so that he can move back in with us after graduation.

I feel somewhat left out as I have no potting compost news to impart as I still don't actually own my own garden

I expect the coming week to be a positive avalanche of house buying activity. In fact I expect to have moved in by next week

DS has allegedly put his jacket in the wash. It's a Levi's denim jacket which spends all but the hottest of days welded to his body, so the wash is long overdue. This cannot be classed as exciting news as I'm unclear whether it's actually happened yet.

I'm about to start on a fortnight off, aside from a training day plonked annoyingly in the middle. Given my slightly nomadic status at the moment this does not fill me with much enthusiasm at all

I did a week's worth of laundry but accidentally threw one wool sock into the dryer so I had to go down and take it out before I shrank it.

The kids around here don't get the winter break NY kids seem to have. They get two weeks at Christmas, the January and February Monday holidays, and spring break some time in March. Some schools get Pulaski day off in March too. It's a state holiday. Tuesday is officially Paczki Day here (poinch-key) and we will enjoy a few in the morning because DS passes several Polish bakeries on his way home, with crepes in the evening after dinner.

Our next break would be Easter.
But hopefully DS qualifies to be admitted to the exam stage of Abitur.

When do you find out Prok?

Back to work after the half term for me today. It’s budget writing time which involves lots of decision making about the next academic year (Sep 2022 onwards) I work with some people who aren’t brilliant at decision making so I foresee a frustrating time ahead.

Since I spent most of Saturday traveling I am taking a day of annual leave today. I am currently waiting for a medical appointment, then when done I have some errands to do.

The Zoom call went well last night. DS is leaning towards taking the job in NYC, but he wants to talk to the manager he worked for during the internship in Boston to discuss it with him before he makes it final. I suspect that he feels a bit guilty about abandoning the team he worked with during his internship. I think the bloke in Boston will understand. The HR person he is dealing with is arranging a formal offer letter from the NY office. The salary should be similar to what the Boston office offered.

On the flight down to Orlando I left my Amazon Kindle Fire HD n the.seat pocket in front of me. Not a big problem as it was 3 years old and I had my work iPad with me. I also had another at home, but no case for it. So I ordered a new case but it was the wrong size, so I have to ship it back today, hopefully the correct case will arrive today, I am a bit annoyed at myself for leaving it on the place. I have wiped it remotely and changed my email password so it should be okay.

Thank you for the potting soil / compost clarification - everyday a school day here

Best of luck with the sweet peas @Nydj

• maybe I’ll try and get some in too? I love them but I am terrible at remembering to sow them. We need to decide what vegetables to grow this year, aside from the standard potatoes and carrots - always tricky to choose. Maybe I’ll try courgettes again.

Today I have had a morning of admin, getting the car washed for the week, filling up with petrol (ouch) and getting my washing done. I own five sets of couch covers, towels and blankets, and tomorrow I will need four so got to make sure I have enough. The school WhatsApp group is alive with pleas for various obscure costumes for World Book Day - DS has decided to be Bilbo Baggins, so I’m just hoping he doesn’t change his mind between now and then (mind you even if he does, he’s still going as Bilbo Baggins ). Spudpup has had a walk and is now asleep in the kitchen, and DH has been for a bike ride and is awake in the kitchen. He said it was quite cold, but that is because he was wearing shorts like a loon

Halfway through doing our taxes. As usual I am lamenting the fact that I was totally disorganised about filing receipts, and am having to plough through emails, log into systems, etc trying to find out what I spent $24.54 on in Feb 2021.

This year I will file all my receipts straight away!

ZZ, are you from Manchester originally?

Mostly - it's where I spent my formative years. I have a bit of a posh Manc accent. I've tried to pass it onto my children but mostly they just laugh at me :-)

@HelenaJustina 5.4.2022 is the day when "Zulassung" is announced (the sum of all grades of the last 4 semesters) - written exams in the 4 chosen subjects start from the 25th. DS starts with English on the 29th, final grades are announced end of June.

I've shipped the Kindle case back to Amazon, put petrol in my, gotten the car washed as there's no precip in the forecast, picked up a few things at the supermarket, and gotten some lunch at my favorite deli. It was a Philly cheesesteak sandwich with fried onion rings on the side. I ate half and will have the other half tomorrow.

Spudlet, you inspired me to get the car washed.

ZZ, I quite like the Manchester accent and find it a bit easier to understand than some other British accents. DD has both her federal and state refunds, DS has his federal refund but NYS says his return requires "additional review" and we have both refunds. I have one trust return to file, but bloody Turbotax hasn't finalized the forms and won't have them ready until the 4th of March. I use Quicken to track everything during the year but we don't have enough deductions to itemize.

I can't lean back because a tiny, tiny lion is sitting between me and the back of the chair. I'm torn between getting back on the stationary bike and watching the latest episodes of Mrs. Maisel and just relaxing.

200 l of earth are out on the terrasse waiting to be used. I have made a repotting schedule (1st the gingkos have to be replanted to free up pots etc.)

I have come to the conclusion that my life is so very boring I don't even have anything to post here.

I am sitting and reading with the dog crashed out on my lap.

DGS found out from his math prof that he failed his midterm. He has decided to withdraw and do the course in the summer. Such a shame really. I think being first time away from home and first serious girlfriend meant he did not focus as needed. But of course we support him completely.

I am trying to lose a few pounds before our trip in May. I have cut out drinking the glass of wine I like in the evening and actually I don't miss it. It is of course probably less than 200 calories but every little bit helps. Saves money too.

We are back to "proper" Vancouver winter weather. Gray with intermittent rain. The dog is quite amusing with his rain avoidance methods. As soon as he feels the rain he speeds up and pulls to one of his closest "spots," does his business and then turns right around and pulls me back into the building.

Love That is alle very suitable and calm enough for this thread.

And by all means cut out the wine if you do not realy like it anyway - I am pledged to lose 6 kg until summer and very much hope lent will help.
Just imagine your dog being one of those 'lovely rain let's go for a run and roll about in the mud' type of dog

I’m on a train. It was delayed before I got on it because of passengers causing a disturbance, but if it hadn’t been I might have missed it…

Ooh, update! The nice trolley steward slipped me some shortbread for free with my coffee as they had no sandwiches left and I’d come straight from work so missed dinner.

Sunbird That is nice - I hope your journey is not too long?

I wanted to do my accounts, but the pdf is not ready as it is still February. So I'll do them tomorrow.

I'd like to lose a stone before summer but a big fat zero so far. I blame the menopause.
I have moved into the gold league in my Duolingo Welsh, I set my target as 5 minutes a day. I forgot yesterday.

I am trying to catch up but the words won’t go in. Tiredness makes it harder for me to process anything.

Da iawn @IWanderedLonely dalwch ati!

Long day today.

Had lamb broccoli carrots mash gravy and mint sauce for tea. Was yummy. The lamb was some very reduced rump pieces which were lovely and thick.

Love, is this his first year at uni? It's a big adjustment.

Sunbird, they come around with a trolley? Amtrak (long-distance) trains here have a separate dining car that also runs out of sandwiches.

I did manage another 25 minutes on the stationary bike, then had a rest and a cat cuddle. I'm now waiting for DH to return home. He has promised to make pizza for dinner.

Here it depends on the type train - all combinations of diner, bistro and trolly are possible.
They overhauled the tracks between Berlin and my home area - only 4 hours on a usually very comfortable train. I remember when I was young and had to travel the transit route. My record was 18 hours - but to be fair there was a havarie on the line.

Some trains here have a buffet car, this one just had a trolley and two nice chaps with no sandwiches. It was a 10 carriage train, but they stopped halfway down my carriage (G) and went back towards the front. They really confused me as well, I asked for coffee then when I went to put my milk in there was a bag in there so I thought it was tea. It wasn’t. (Hooray!)

@MissConductUS

Yes, first year. His prof announced today the pass rate was only 44% which sounds off to me. She apparently added marks but he still missed.

He is doing fine in everything else. It has been such a tough couple of years for these kids.

He found out he had Covid also, a day after the exam, but he said all he had was a slight headache.