Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 26: 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 25: Calmly through the day

Welcome to all regulars, lurkers, and new contributors! Everyone is welcome to join.

Thanks Bizzey cross posted.

RIP SilkieRabbit. It could have been stress, I've heard they can die from stress or fear quite easily. 😥

I looked for the heron for ages Hilda but I couldn't see it either until you marked it, they blend in so well, mother nature doing her job I suppose. The cows were lovely too.

Yay 😁 you finished the painting Bizzey.

They sound...odd, MissC. I'm sure the groom isn't especially close to all his extended family anyway and won't mind that some can't be invited. I don't know why some parents make weddings all about them. Ah well, I don't suppose you'll have to see them that often after the wedding! The wedding planner sounds like a great idea. If there's any arguments further down the line, I know my friends got wedding insurance. Not because they thought anything would go wrong, but because it came with an official list of who is organising what, which everyone has to agree to, so it stopped all the arguments and everyone had to stick to their own task "for insurance reasons".

Today I've been cleaning and now the place sparkles.

Also, hi to the newbies. I apologise I've forgotten your names already, I have sawdust where my brains should be 😊

Bizzey, congrats on your diy accomplishment! 👍
Silkie, sorry about rabbit. They are very sensitive. 😢

Just finished dinner of rigatoni and left-over salmon in garlic cream with spinach and tomatoes (and generous pecorino grated over top). Now picking at a wedge of panettone. Lovely relaxing Sunday meal. 😋
Picked up contact lens' solution. I should have more than enough to get me into the New Year.

Silkies that is sad news. Rabbits can indeed be very sensitive.
I hope your DH won't have too much trouble as a result of his stolen wallet.

I am cat sitting this weekend and watering plants for the cat's owner. The cat is a great deal smaller than Floof and delighted to see me when I let myself in.

Earlier, before I went to see the cat, I turned on the TV and to my great surprise saw the last few minutes of England v Fiji on NBC, I think. I need to see if the semi finals will be shown on broadcast TV.

Bizzey well done on finishing the painting. My memory of painting is that I discovered I had muscles in places I never suspected, and they all hurt for days afterwards.

So sorry silkie a pet loss is always sad.

First proper hard frost here this morning, will have to scrape my car!

Oh so sorry @Silkierabbit , poor rabbit. And poor DD holding him!

@Mumtobabyhavoc all your food descriptions make me so hungry!

@bizzey well done on the painting, it's a huge task but bet it looks worth it already.

@MissConductUS funny how differently weddings are viewed in different countries- not sure about other British people on here but I'd say the assumption now over here is that the couple pay. We paid for ours (but we were much older than your DD!), I don't think I know anyone whose parents paid for their wedding. I think sometimes parents pay for something specific? Like they might buy the dress, or pay for the alcohol. Sounds like you will have to be a master diplomat!

Just had some peanut butter and jam on toast for breakfast. Need to drop Ds at nursery and then cycle to work. That will be a real test for my poor back. DH came in to the bedroom this morning (he's an early bird) and the dog bounded in and jumped right up on the bed- he's not allowed on the bed but the confidence he did it with suggests to me he's been having a little snooze on there whilst we are out...

Thanks everyone. DD was sad but glad she was holding him so he didn't die alone. I am allergic to the rabbit but she carried him and some hay and a carrot upstairs on a plastic lid with rabbit lying on his side collapsed with neck not moving saying please tell me how to make my rabbit live to me. I said we would call vet and I would google and in meantime try and put water and hay to his mouth and cuddle him. But he looked well past saving and died within 5 minutes in her arms. Vet called back after he had died but it was too late anyway. Fairly certain was heart attack looking online and could well be stress triggered, its apparently often a few days after the stress. It could have been tiling work, hard to know exactly and nothing we can do now. We will bury him today. DD got him a box with a carrot and some hay in we can bury.

DH is back and cards appear not used and just around £20 lost so just needs new bank cards x 2 and Kew, NT and English Heritage cards again so not too bad. DD is off at school, yesterday she was playing Frisbee for her school - she said they were keen for female players as they make other side take 2 males off for each female. Doesn't seem very fair. DH is working from home then piano lesson tonight.

Have had tea and a Portuguese tart.

Why, older couples with established careers often pay for their own weddings in the US. DH and I did, when we were both in our mid-30s. DD works two jobs on campus at uni and did offer to put in what she had saved but DH wouldn't hear of it.

Silkie, I'm glad Rabbit will get a nice send off. We have thought of burying our cats that passed away in our yard, but I think it's against the law where we are. We have so much wildlife here that I also worried about something, like a coyote, digging up the bodies. So we always have had them cremated.

I have lots of boring wedding related news from the last 24 hours. We finally got the guest list from DD as a Google Sheet. The future inlaws have completely taken the piss, to borrow some British slang. They want to invite over 130 people, including thirty-three "family friends". I think they must have included every living relative on both sides. DD also left off about ten people from our family who simply must be invited. So we added them to the list and had a Zoom call with DD. She wanted us to tell her future inlaws how many people they could invite. DH wisely told her that she had $X to spend on the reception, which would cover 140 people, so she could sent out 140 plus 14 invitations, assuming that 10% would decline. It was up to her to give them a number, and our additions were non-negotiable. For reference, our list is 40 people, so less than a third of the total.

DH suggested that she tell them that they needed to put everyone on their list into an A or B category. They can invite the A's first, then if she gets more than 14 declines, she can let them invite some B's. She can also tell them that she doesn't like it, but she has a firm budget of $X to stick to. She seemed okay with this approach, which of course makes us look like the bad guys. When we talked to them on Saturday about the guest list DH told them then that there was a limit on the size of the reception, so it should not be a surprise. And of course, they can always open their checkbook and pay for more if they choose to. But something tells me that's not going to happen.

We're expecting the proposal from the wedding planner later today. DD is very keen to talk to her. She clearly sees the value of getting help with all of this.

130 ...and they are not offering to pay a penny 😲😲😲🤬!

That must be 2nd cousins 3 times removed or something to get to that family number !!

Oh gosh that doesn't sound promising re the inlaws MissC though it was what I was expecting based on their immediate need to phone. 🙄

Our wedding in France was paid by MIL which was a big fancy affair - MIL style - in a casino by a lake, photos by a chateau, champagne reception, 3+ course meal, party to 6am with unlimited champagne for all, cake with fireworks, 200 guests. My parents made a right drama about it being in France and insisted on a Church of England church there despite never going to church ever though that was nice, was a little lovely church. Kept checking with me that they wouldn't be asked to pay anything. Insisted some awful relatives would be invited claiming they wouldn't accept but of course they did. Tbf they didn't insist on a huge list, maybe 40 or so from our side. And they did pay for a very cheap ceremony in England and then make a big point every year of saying our anniversary is the anniversary of the English one. 🙄Joys of weddings. I think you are being very --too- generous with them. A lot of couples pay for own here now and its generally 50/50 between bride and groom as women work nowadays. I hope your DDs husband to be won't be like this.

Oh goodness MissC! How awful. They've not even left any room for the bride and groom's friends. You're being incredibly generous offering to pay for over 100 of the groom's family. I wouldn't, I'd insist they could have 50 people only and the bride and groom could invite 50 of their friends. Otherwise your poor DD starts married life being walked over by her in-laws with none of her friends at her wedding, that you've paid for. Hardly fair. It makes you wonder how the groom turned out so lovely when the parents are so selfish. Actually that's a point, why isn't he telling his parents they've invited too many? I'd be delegating that task to him if I was your DD. Hopefully the addition of the wedding planner will make sure the entire thing isn't one big argument with in-laws huffing constantly because they can't get their own way.

@whyyy321 ...your dog story has made me laugh!

Our family dog was " not " allowed on the beds.
But mam noticed that when she came home from work about 3.30 dog use to slink downstairs and quietly go into his own bed under the stairs.

She would go up to find a dent and warm patch on her bed where he had been curled up 🤣🤣!

He was on my bed once and he didn't hear the door.
I said...mam's home !
He jumped of my bed and lay on my floor ... trying to look all innocent 😇😇!!

Mallards those are my sentiments too.

I think you need to state a maximum number for the guest list and divide that into thirds. He or she who pays the piper calls the tune.

The ILs can take it or leave it.

Definate nip in the air today !
I noticed it late last night when I went to put a bag out in the bin

I had little trainer socks on ...and my ankles did not like being exposed!

I have caved today and put the heating on for an hour .

With the weather we were having 2 weeks ago ,I thought I could hang off till end of the month.

But today it feels like we skipped autumn and have just gone straight into winter !

An hour of heating has made a difference though.

MissC you said they are west coast .
Are you expected to host them as well ?
And pay for rooms at the venue ?

Gosh, that is……difficult, MissC. I would be feeling distinctly taken advantage of if I were you and DH.

bizzey, them expecting to stay with us is a horrible thought that hadn't occurred to me. We don't have room for overnight guests unless they want to sleep on an air mattress in the living room, and we wouldn't want anyone the night before the wedding anyway. Since they used to live in the area, they can find someone else to take advantage of.

Mallards and Math, I think we have been overly generous about it too, but DH doesn't want to make this any harder for DD than it has to be. She has texted me that she has discussed it with the groom to be, he is fine with it and setting firm boundaries about who can come and will deal with his parents directly to resolve it without getting DD involved. She thinks they can easily get under the number DH set. I suspect they will remove the 33 "friends of the family" his parents want to invite and possibly some of the more distant relatives as well. That's turned out better than I expected and gives me hope that he's not as entitled as his parents.

That's great MissC I'm relieved for you. He has the makings of a good husband and son in law.

I've had a lazy day, I needed a rest so I had one.

Rainy day here and 16c. Having a cup of tea, slice of panettone and a few pieces chocolate-covered mango. Making poached eggs on avo toast with roasted potatoes for dinner later. Seems like a good choice: easy and healthy. Havoc is Having a late nap curled up on the couch.

Just did that dialect quiz posted on another thread. I say "couch", but growing up it was "chesterfield." To my Canadian ears "sofa" is American and I notice Brits tend to say "sofa" as well. What say you? 🤔

I did that quiz as well just now !
I say settee and sofa !

I had to think hard doing that quiz.

I think it depends on the context of the conversation as in :

I would love to buy a new sofa..

Straighten up the throw on the settee...it is annoying me.

I have been sitting here pronouncing words out loud to try and work out how I pronounce them 🤣🤣

What was your pronunciation for
Scone ?

Bizzey, growing up, Scawn, like prawn. Now, scone, like phone. Seems common pronunciation here, now.
I've seen this heavily debated on a thread on this site! Not to mention the cream or jam first debate! 🫣

I am a phone scone and jam with cream on top !