Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 23: 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 22: Calmly through the day

Apologies that the prior thread filled up before I could create this one. Hopefully everyone will find it. Lurkers are of course welcome to unlurk.

Happy anniversary, Helena! How many years has it been? What did the meal deal include?

Prok, those are really thoughtful and lovely gifts.

Iwandered, a lot does happen in a week. It's a busy time for us all.

DS rang about an hour ago to say he was leaving Boston, so he should be home about 7:30 or so. We're going to get a takeaway from the Tex/Mex place, so we'll get him two of his favorite steak tacos, and we can warm them up when he gets home.

The new computer was delivered this morning, so DH spent a good bit of the afternoon setting it up and installing software. It's handy to have an IT bloke in the house (and yes, I watched The IT Crowd, and no, he's not like them). It's much faster than the old computer.

Prok, your colleagues sound lovely.
Helena, that's on3 step further than DH and I go!
I went on a lovely walk this afternoon.

Congratulations on your wedding anniversary, Helena.

We've had the most astonishingly heavy downpours of rain all day, starting from the small hours of last night - I had to get up and check in my office, where we've got plastic sheeting draped into the (unused) fireplace, to catch the mysterious drip when it rains heavily. I was afraid water might be pouring down into the room, it was so heavy. Luckily it wasn’t, but the plastic was definitely needed because it carried on pouring for hours (and our roofer can’t do any repairs for a few weeks).

Then in the afternoon it stopped, the sun came out, and in warm sun we picked all the remaining apples off our tree to take them for juicing. The second we finished, it started raining again, and we proceeded to have continuous thunder and lightning for hours.

Completely weird.

18 years Miss I was a child bride the meal was a main, side and pudding, we had the main (amazing gnocchi dish) with green salad and chocolate tarts for pudding, plus a bottle of champagne we were given over the summer.

How thoughtful Prok have you got specific plans for the voucher?

Hilda it was totally bizarre wasn’t it! We had huge amounts of rain in the morning and then another massive cloudburst in the evening. The washing dried outside in between!

Lovely pictures, Sprouts. Is that a canal or a river?

Hilda, we've had lots of rain here lately, including last night and today. We're still catching up after a terrible drought over the summer. Our local reservoir system is now at 88%, which isn't bad, but it's normally at 100% in the fall.

18 years is fabulous, Helena, congratulations. I was not a child bride. 😀Your meal deal sounds fab and a great value for 12 quid.

DD wants to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend's family. We would have to pick her up, bring her home, and then she would travel with his family to Virginia for the holiday. They would bring her home, then we would drive her back to uni. I'm not thrilled about it, but it would be more trouble than it's worth if I made a fuss about it.

Happy Anniversary Helena. I do like a Waitrose meal deal they are usually yummy.

MissC how long has your DD been with her BF? Will this be her first one away with his family? Always a big step.

anybody got any simple but yummy pumpkin recipes? Either cupcakes or pie or something that I can make with the children in work this week?

DS did Halloween activities today at child minders. He loves it with her. She spoils him a bit.

I saw a lovely recipe for pumpkin pancakes lemons- it was on tv over here this eve - I'll have a look for it if you'd like?

Hope you're doing ok Silkie- and I hope your DS is as ok as he can be in that place.

Congratulations Helena - and here's to many more.

Such a showery day here today- went to Aldi with DD and got drenched - was very glad of a hot shower when I got home.
DD thought it was hilarious..

Lemons, they've been together for about three years. She has spent lots of time with his immediate family, but this trip would be her first time meeting his grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, etc. I really hope that she doesn't want to get married right out of uni. She should spend a bit of time on her own. He's completing a course that will graduate him as a commissioned officer in the army and could be sent anywhere when he graduates.

On the plus side, he's a really lovely young man and very bright and capable.

I make pumpkin muffins - a little like banana muffins or bread only with pumpkin, plus cinnamon, ginger, and a pinch of cloves, plus mini chocolate chips.

I'll see if I can find the recipe...

www.thisgrandmaisfun.com/the-best-pumpkin-muffins-ever/

Scroll, wayyyy down for the recipe.
I don't use nutmeg or coconut oil - ordinary veg or sunflower oil works fine, or melted butter if you feel like it would work too.
I also cut way back on the sugar as I add about half a cup of mini chocolate chips.

She may not want to get married immediately Miss. DH and I were 18 when we became a couple, but 27 when we got married. We've been together for 22 years now and married 13.
I imagine it's a bit of a shock the first time your child chooses to spend a holiday elsewhere, so I do feel for you there.

Congratulations on your 18th wedding anniversary Helena.

I took the DC swimming yesterday, and by took, I mean I watched from the viewing area, did some crochet and provided snacks when they got out. DS1s best friend came too. He's becoming something of a permanent fixture these days. Which we don't mind at all as he's a lovely and polite boy. In fact, only yesterday I had to say to him that he didn't need to call us Mr and Mrs Fairy, first names were absolutely fine. I've known him since he was 2 so I was surprised to hear that he would refer to me as Mrs Fairy (he doesn't usually refer to me as any name).

I'm currently laid in bed with a cat using me as a pillow but am considering getting up as I'm hungry.

Miss, it's a canal (well two actually - I went up one and back down the other).
Rhubarb that sounds very relaxing...

The day my children no longer required me to get in the pool with them was one of the greatest, I’m more than happy to drive them there and throw food at them when they get out, but I hated shivering in the shallow end with the toddler/baby while simultaneously stopping the pre-schooler/primary age DC from over confidently drowning themselves. And then the palaver of drying 1 adult and 4DC in a changing space made for 2 munchkins when only two of those 5 can dress/dry themselves… can you tell it wasn’t my favourite thing to do

In dull news, we are painting one wall in DC2’s bedroom, the prep has taken over a day so far, and the DC concerned is going slowly bonkers at the pace of progress…

I couldn't agree more with you Helena. They announced that they wanted to go again today, so off we went (DS1s best friend in tow as usual). I did some more crochet and threw snacks at them afterwards.

We walked into town after swimming. I gave DS1 and friend some money to get some food and left them to their own devices. DS2 and I had a nice wander round together and he used some of gis pocket money to buy some more character figures from a second hand gaming shop. He has a collection of about 50 now, but he loves them and plays with them regularly. I'll take a photo of today's ones when I get home.

I'm currently sat in the nail salon. I've had a spa pedicure and will shortly be having my fingernails redone. I started wearing acrylics about 18 months ago as I'm a nail biter so my nails are very weak. Acrylics stop me biting and they look nice. I keep them short and plain.

Sounds like stellar parenting and a lovely day Rhubarb!

Thanks! I enjoyed having my quiet pampering time. I'm taking DS2 to The Big Smoke tomorrow to see Frozen the Musical, so I had my nails done blue as a nod to that.

I'm now settled onto the sofa and we're about to watch a film. I've just finished off an antler branch for Monty the Moose. I probably won't do the second one whilst we watch the film as it requires counting and focus on every round and I'll get distracted.

Photo featuring my nails, Monty, and the antler branch.

I took the cowards way out when it came to swimming with the kids. The health club we belonged to at the time had a pool and offered swimming lessons. I would stay and watch, but someone else did the hard work. It worked a treat, they learned in no time and we took them to the pool on the weekends after they learned. When they both decided to row crew, they had to pass a swimming test before starting, so it worked out well in the long run too.

I'm still pretty annoyed about DD and Thanksgiving. She's also been back by train last month to see her boyfriend and didn't tell us about it until later, so we didn't get to see her then either. I guess when you're 20 your parents aren't that important anymore.

I love that blue, Rhubarb, and Monty is adorable.

And speaking of the Big Smoke, we had fog yesterday almost worthy of London.

That would hurt, MissC. I wonder is she a little bitter about not having a car? Or is it just thoughtlessness or the self absorption of Youth?

I expected to see a headless horseman galloping through the trees there.

I took my DCs to the local outdoor pool for swimming lessons when they were about four, and they learned to put their faces in the water and blow bubbles plus a few strokes. Once they had the confidence to swim a few yards I breathed easy. We spent a lot of time every summer by the pool. I would hang out by the baby pool while the older DCs splashed around in the main pool. I used to buy garishly bright swimsuits for them to make sure I could keep track of them from my spot in the shade.

Eerie photos! I'm sorry to hear that DD has been less than forthcoming.

Your swimming approach sounds very sensible to me. Ours also had lessons. Initially they had group lessons but we moved them to 1:1 to support DS1 with focusing (essentially he had nowhere to hide and muck about) and gave DS2 the same opportunity. DS1 went on to swim for a club and train twice a week but gave it up in July this year. He no longer has lessons as he's a strong swimmer. DS2 still has group lessons (he requested a move back from 1:1) as he's not as strong yet, though he can swim comfortably.

DS2 and I had a fantastic day in London yesterday. We walked all over and enjoyed playing tourist. Despite having lived in London and having been into the city many times, it was fun to explore with DS and focus on seeing the sights. He also wanted to go to Hamleys Toy Shop. After some negotiation on the appropriateness of buying a 6 foot Aquaman trident, he came out with two pens shaped like wands from Harry Potter. He bought Dumbledores (which also lights up at the end) and Voldemorts.

We went to Covent Garden for street food and entertainment and finished with a showing of Frozen The Musical which both DS and I enjoyed immensely. I shed a tear during Let It Go.

DS1 and DH were also in London, but for a football match. They went up on a later train than we did, however we got the same train home. We were on the tube heading back to the station when a lad and his dad got on the stop after us, and the boy was wearing a shirt of the team they'd gone to watch. I joked to DS that DH and DS1 might be on the same tube. We alighted at our stop, made our way to the exit, and who should be filing through the exit at the exact moment from the opposite direction, but DH and DS1! Tubes run every 2 to 5 minutes so that really was a coincidence we were on the same one.

We got home at 1am. All tired but happy.

MissC - the great thing about your DD having a car is that you'd no longer have to drive her to and from uni. I've found that a godsend. DD actually doesn't use hers much at uni, but it's handy occasionally.

Her younger brother has his own - he was smart and bought a stick shift so that his siblings couldn't drive it :-)

It’s my birthday today. I hate my birthday. But I have to pretend to be happy so I don’t upset my family.

Rhubarb (Rhababer) the little moose looks very sweet. I managed to crochtet myself three hats (dark violet, mixed and pumpkin orange) to keep my head warm. But I do have a book with instructions for a doll and clothing, perhaps I will give it a try.

I cleaned the kitchen and sat next to DS while he was working through his study material - he really needs way more time because of his AS/ADHD, but at least he is enjoying it. Thankfully there is an option for him to reduce modules per semester and double the time to take them all.

Rhubarb, that sounds like a fabulous day out in London. I'm thinking that DH, DS and I may go into NYC this fall to see the Titanic Exhibition. It reportedly did very well in London, and they've found a good location for it in NYC.

We're going to talk to DD on Friday evening to let her know that she needs to be more forthcoming with us. We can't not go and pick her up at uni as the trains are sold out around Thanksgiving and it would leave her stranded on campus.

ZZ, that thought had occurred to us too. We just hope that she doesn't use the car to make an excessive number of trips home to visit her boyfriend.

Happy birthday, user!

Prok, my DS had extra time given for taking tests and other accommodations for his ADHD. They was crucial to his success.

I went to the Titanic Exhibition on ny 21st birthday. It was excellent. I turned 40 in August, I can't believe its still going.

Happy birthday to you @uuser1498572889

Prok. DS1 had a diagnosis of ADHD a year ago. The difference in his test results by being eligible for additional time and support has been incredible.

I have had a mostly lazy day today. We have a friend staying tonight as he and DH are going away for a long weekend with some other friends tomorrow and are being picked up at 0430, so there was a bit of a dash to give the bathroom a wipe over about half an hour before he arrived.

DS got his official diagnosis when he was in year one (6y). He is 20 tomorrow and at uni. The contents is no problem, but the structure.