Thread 5 - TalkExiles: "The Planet Goes On Being Round"

[Kucinghitam]

Continuation of previous lifeboat threads (thread 4).

Gather here all ye refugees from the JTT Flat Earth Society, welcome to the reassuringly oblate spheroid of MN! Ye all already know the answers to the questions "How the heck do I format my post?" "Why can't I edit my typos?" "What do those acronyms mean?" and most importantly, "Where is everybody that I used to know?"

So really we're all here just to chat randomly.

In CF (classic mumsnet terminology) news, I had some joiners round to quote me a price for putting up alcove shelving for my lounge and two bedrooms. First guy comes back with a quote, £2075 for a total of 11 shelves, none of which he said would be able to bear much weight.

I politely told him he could do one, at which point he halved the price but said he'd need to use cheaper materials. He can still do one.

Second bloke quoted me just over £1000 but for a total of 27 shelves, as well as building a cupboard to the right of the fireplace, and reinforcing one set of shelves to accomodate my LPs.

Always get a second opinion I guess is the moral of this story.

I'm sorry you're going through it with your cats, @Dotellhimpike. I had that with Francis and Louise although it was all from her. He's very much a lover, not a fighter and just took it but never understood why she hated him. It was all okay until she began dirty protesting. She would literally just take a shit in front of me. There was nothing physically wrong with her she'd just decided that fuck you for bringing a boy cat into my life six years ago. I rehomed her. It broke my heart and I felt like the worst cat parent in the world ever. I got some photos of her recently and she's so happy and I feel so much better about it. I did think about rehoming Francis but I was worried that I'd do that and she'd keep shitting and I'd be no better off. With Francis and Django I've struck lucky although they had met before and seemed okay with each other. The way they are now is adorable. As I type they're both beside me on the bed and Django has his head on Francis's chest with his front paws cuddling him.

Long story short. If you do have to rehome your boy you're not a bad person and sometimes life is shit like that.

@CyanCrystalViolet no thingy with it, but many, many bamboo poles now holding it up. At some point, I will probably "prune" it and create more plants because it is bloody huge and very, very heavy. So heavy, in fact, that I was confident that Django would never be able to knock it off the small table it was on. I was wrong. It went crashing down today, soil everywhere and big swearing from me. It's now on the floor and I'm hoping he'll leave it alone. I've realised that Christmas trees are probably out for me in the future.

What does "CF" mean, @Dotellhimpike ?

Thanks @Ginmonkeyagain , re Cash. I was a bit concerned about giving my 3-digit security number to the app, but I suppose it's the same as giving it to any site, really. So.... the gummy bears or the Lindt choc? :)

CF = cheeky fucker

Gorgeous spring day here, just had Kasper outside but he doesn’t like it much and ran back in after 5 minutes. Been admiring all the crocuses. My favourite time of year.. like @MavisMcMinty said, everything to look forward to. Soon the cherry blossom will be out and then it will be time to start my annual survey of the local magnolia trees.

I am so looking forward to seeing English spring this weekend when I arrive there - and Maine spring after I get back here mid-March.

It is a glorious day - really clear, bright sunlight. There are some catkins tentatively appearing on local treets

Lovely crocuses. That's the sort of thing we're aiming for in our front lawn, but can't afford that many bulbs so we're waiting for them to multiply.

I passed a couple of lawns with a good dusting of crocuses. There’s a house near me with a small square front garden which is made up entirely of meadow flowers. It’s so beautiful, look forward to seeing it every year. If I ever have a garden I’ll turn it into a meadow.

@Britinme enjoying spring twice, fab!

Oh yes, spring twice would be a dream. Maybe when I win the lottery I’ll just follow spring as it makes its way around the globe.

The loveliest season around here is autumn. It can be stiflingly hot in July but around the end of September/beginning of October the temperatures are at their most pleasant and the trees are spectacular. Maine has a lot of pine trees so it's never grey, even in winter, but the maples and birches are flamboyant in the fall.

Yes @Britinme - I’ve seen pictures and it looks spectacular. I live in a wood and we get nothing like that. (Also of course, you are in Stephen King’s state, and that proximity would make me happy.)

But autumn is my least favourite season, not because it’s bad in itself, just because it means winter is coming, it’s all behind us again.

Lovely crocuses, by the way. There are a couple of purple ones on my lawn, the ones in the back are actually more likely to be tulips, as they're so big now.

We are season twins @MavisMcMinty. Autumn is also my least favourite with the impending winter, and so many things dying off is just sad. I prefer winter because at least then the clock is ticking for spring and you can get cosy. Love the idea of following spring around the globe.

@Britinme would love to visit your part of the world.

I love autumn when the days are crisp and sunny but am less keen on it when it’s grey and damp. For the many years I spent working in education, autumn always felt like the start of something new. Stopping teaching and starting to do more in the garden has changed that association though.

Quite a few wild crocuses in the lawn here at the moment. Hardly any of the ones I’ve planted (in pots and flower beds) are doing anything much but the wild ones are lovely.

Grey and damp doesn't really set in here (pine trees and early snow) but November and Feb/March are the months I dislike most. March is called mud season around here. Frozen ground is thawing and country roads get frost heaves.

Don’t like the sound of muddy March! March means daffodils and longer days and the promise of sunny afternoons and lighter evenings once the clocks go forward.

Look deep into the April face
A change is clearly taking place
Mm-mm-mmm
Go looking for the summer

I love Autumn - walking through golden brown beech leaves and seeing the trees reveal their shapes in the woods, and the bright mosses and fungi. And although our trees don't do New England style colour, yellow ash and hazel leaves, red cherry, bight pink spindle, brown oak, are all lovely in their own way. I enjoy the Halloween bank holiday (last Monday in October) for the chance it gives to get out and enjoy nature before the dark closes in.

That said, I also love Spring - the wildflowers are still few and far between but I saw my first lesser celandine earlier in the afternoon, and the red deadnettles are suddly a blur of purple rather than matte dark green. And loads of snowdrops, and a good scattering of crocuses and other bulbs.

Loise Penny has a great, and offputting, description of mud season in Canada in one of her books - not just mud, but every scrap of litter, un-picked up dog poo, lost mitten etc etc dropped in the last three to four months, suddenly on display.

Louise Penny. At least I didn't make the mistake of the young chap who recorded his love for 'Lousie' in big black letters on the station wall here about twenty years ago.

The best thing by far about Autumn is the chestnuts.

Absolutely glorious afternoon, felt like spring. The garden I worked in has winter aconites and snow drops springing up all over and looked so pretty. The quince is putting out clusters of tight pink flower buds which should flower in April, so that's something to look forward to as well. I drove through country lanes and there seemed to be horse around every corner, so much slowing down was done and I was greeted with cheery waves by the riders. Lovely day!

I like all the seasons, tbh, and welcome each in its turn, except for very hot spells in summer which can bugger off. Having spent a few years in a country that had barely noticeable seasons, I was surprised at how much I missed them and I longed for the colder, damp days at home, the frosty pavements and short days in winter.

Not many horses left round here, compared with when we came here 24 years and 9 days ago. Bridleway right next to my house and it’s rare to see anyone ride past, or to see hoof-prints on the path through the woods. Haven’t even seen the hunt go by for a couple of years now. I don’t miss having horses, although on some level will miss my beloved mare till the end of time, but on days like today I yearn to ride, perfect weather for it, and no flies.

There were several horses in the sea here this morning - it was a glorious sunny day, cool but with a very gentle breeze, and they were having a wonderful time. I love seeing that.