Come and tell me your dull and unexciting news 29: 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 a link to the prior thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4967206-come-and-tell-me-your-dull-and-unexciting-news-28-calmly-through-the-day

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

Hope things have calmed down now, MissC.

Local news stations here are quietly hyping the expected arrival this spring of the 17 year cicadas, and possibly some of the 13 year cicadas they are expecting a little downstate. The noise will be deafening once the brood hatches.

Apparently, the male cicadas are the ones who make the racket. They congregate in trees and sing to the females. Sing isn't really the word - the sound can reach 90 decibels. When the mass mating and feeding is over, the dead cicadas fall out of the trees, pile up, and those not eaten by whatever feeds on them smell like roadkill.

I remember crunching through dead cicadas with DD4 and her little friend seventeen years ago as we walked the friend home when she played at our house. Also the horror as dead cicadas fell on our heads. We have a lot of mature trees here.

Math, I remember them in Greece. The buzzing was unreal. 🙉
It's going to be a biblical plague this year with the 13-year and 17-year sync. Apparently billions will emerge.
🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰🪰

Havoc has taken to calling Snoopy, "Gus." 🤷‍♀️

Well what a week !! 😅..

You know how people date things as pre COVID (2020) and lockdowns and things to jog their memories ...well I think Easter 2024 will go down in our family history of date jogging for all the wrong reasons. 🤣🤣!!

I couldn't even type on here what was happening as it felt like I couldn't even string a sentence together with all the stress and anxiety I was under !

But .. thanks to this lovely thread ...I have learnt about a new insect 🦗🦗🪳🪳 that I never knew about or the history of it !!

I have sat at night and read all the posts in order to keep my sanity!

Hope you are OK Bizzey Sorry its been a difficult Easter.

Thanks Half

That's amazing with the hospitals MissC Quite jealous, we have similar to the Irish situation here. Delays even in private atm though nothing like as bad.

DD and DH enjoyed their time in Oxford and brought back a Toby carvery which was nice.

Weather is a bit meh here at the moment. Got a TV licence again so can watch BBC etc and watching programme about trains around Scotland. Had pancakes last night.

I will add to the thread about something boring that happened this morning...(that freaked me out !!)

I made a cup of tea and took it back to bed ..as I usually do on a Saturday everyday !

My toe was itchy/annoying me ...hurting ?

The one that I had broke/chipped a few months ago ...

Well that was not connected at all when I had a look...

I had some flipping long hair wrapped around it in the middle ..in a knot 😮😮😮😮

You know....what they tell you to look out for in little chubby chuckers babies fingers and toes
😅..

It was Painful !

And starting to swell !

Couldn't find any small scissors (obvs !)
So went with it with the kitchen scissors.

Snipped it off !

Because it was itchy ...I was automatically rubbing my other foot against it ...and made a big knot .

Poor poor little babies that have this in their folds of skin and chubby bits !

As a nearly 60 year old ...I can confirm...it is not nice ☺️

I do have my new passport though !

Very strange story.

I will try and explain it...

Reported passport as stolen/lost ...( in my house !!)

Filled out form with photo (from other PP !) and gave friend A 's details as countersignature.

Friend A said ..all done ...it was easy .

Next day ...text saying ...photo rejected 😔..
Yeah...fair enough...it has to be recent .

Took me a while to get to shop to do new photo .

(I was on a time limit now to not loose my payment on the application/)

New photo done and put on portal.

Message next day to say my countersignature person does not fit their list. (??)

Ok...
Got details from another friend ..B

Portal page would not allow me to add friend B.

Kept ringing PP office.

Examiner was looking at my application.

Then got text saying PP was being printed...and I got it 2 days later !! 😮😅😅!

Friend A was very happy she had not failed the countersignatury part of my application!!
😅😅😅

Too be fair ...a photo 18 months apart wasn't going to change that much ..

Friend B was not needed !

Started the day with a run, it’s so mild and windy that the third load of laundry is currently drying on the line. Took DC2 swimming, DC1 to the gym, DC3 to opticians and got one of DH’s birthday presents from a local brewery. Have tidied the garage and done a run to the tip in my Ford Fiesta! All in all, a good days work so far.

Helena ....I am exhausted just reading your post as always! 😅😅

It’s mid Easter break so my energy levels have recovered from the rigours of the previous term! Off to do the filing of bills/statements etc which mounts up during term time.

Bizzey, sounds like a stressful week. Why was Easter off?
Helena, good way to start the day! I love it when I feel ahead of the game! 👏
Penguinsa, glad it went well for dd at Oxford. When will a decision be made? Grey day here, too. 🤷‍♀️

My new indulgence (with a latte):
Croissant, pistachio spread, strawberries

"I have sat at night and read all the posts in order to keep my sanity"

@bizzey I do this regularly- usually helps me to nod off...

We buried my best friends Mam today. An unexpected death of a lovely lady. I'm sad tonight- we were to visit her over the Easter holidays but it wasn't meant to be.

Sorry about your best friends Mum Half

Looks lovely Havoc Oxford will be her firm choice and then Bristol or Bath her insurance and she has to get A star AA for Oxford and AAA for Bristol or Bath and predicted 3 A stars. Last exam is 20 June and they start mid May, quite spaced out unlike GCSEs. She is at an all night party at the moment after punting all day.

I've just watching rail journeys through Asia with Portillo. DH did some gardening before and put rest of wild rose cuttings in green bin which is now 2/3rd full. Not planted the magnolia yet but need to get some compost from the shop first. Had a kebab (lamb shish with salad, mushroom, peppers and onion in pitta bread) for dinner.

Just had another, Penguinsa. 😛
Half, sorry about your bf's mum. Never easy, is it? 💐

Helena, your energy levels are inspiring, as always.

Havoc, I think I gain weight just reading your posts and seeing the pictures of the food you prepare. I am happy to let DH do the culinary work.

halfpast, sorry to hear about your friend's mother passing.

penguinsa, your brilliant daughter continues to impress.

I am in Massachusetts, having just attended my daughter's bridal shower. I drove up this morning with my lovely sister-in-law. It was great fun, with about twenty women, mostly the bridesmaids, her friends from uni, and her friends from church. It was held in a lounge in one of the university dormitories that she was able to reserve for the afternoon. There was a nice meal catered in and lots of presents to unwrap. It was so nice getting to meet her bridesmaids and other friends. SIL and I are staying nearby overnight and returning tomorrow.

Miss, we walked around the neighbourhood for about an hour and fifteen this afternoon. Hoping that gives a pass for the sweets. 😛 How was the shower? ☺️
Penguinsa, how is your dd dealing with the pressure?

Anyone excited for the eclipse? It is discussed in every newscast here and on the US stations. 🥱
Miss, you should have good viewing in the N East, no?
Freezing here! Weather app said 12c when we went out but it was cold!
Havoc has had a fever on and off since Thursday morning. 🤔Has fallen asleep on the floor. Letting sleeping child stay there for another 15 mins. 🤫
Just had cheesy scrambled eggs in a warm croissant and a piece of Easter chocolate after. 😋

Glad you had a lovely bridal shower for your DD MissC

Havoc DD is coping really well, just very happy with the Oxford offer. She has a lot of friends and a good balance between studying, work (sporty and social) and friends and Floof helps. Though I got a 4.20am e-mail from the party after she's been doing sport all day for her work then she's been at a party and got a message can you wake Papa to come and collect me as I feel ill (don't drive myself) so he's gone and collected her and she's back home now. She doesn't drink much but maybe has a bug or was too much activity. She's just here chatting to me and cuddling the cat who is very excited for an early breakfast.

Penguinsa, I always think it's a relief to get a call to be picked up rather than risk anything. It's nice you have that relationship. 😊 I'm quite impressed by everything she manages! 👍

It has started to rain here. 🌧️

That sounds lovely! Enjoy your time there.

Thanks, @ZZTopGuitarSolo, it's good to see you're still following the thread. We'll be on the road shortly.

Thanks Havoc Yes much rather she messaged and got us like she did, nice to be needed.

Have safe journey back MissC and welcome back Zz hope things are ok with you.

Just having Sunday roast and washing the bed sheets. Floof has been playing from about 4.30am but now appears worn out. Hopefully swimming this afternoon.

The shower sound simple and lovely Miss Hen dos in the UK seem to have got longer and more complicated/expensive over recent years.

Helena, over here hen-do's are different from showers.
we call hen-do's, "stagettes" (vs stags for the guys) and they range from a night out to elaborate travel holidays. Invitees range from closest friends/friends to including sil's to be, sometimes mums. Showers are just about gifts to the bride and food is served. Friends and family (female) attend. Either can be silly with games or making the bride do something embarassing. If alcohol is involved it can get crazy...
shower gifts can be practical (kitchen items) 🥱 and also tend toward newlywed items (lingerie). I gave a friend a mini champers bottle, bubble bath and bathrobe that said (Bride) on the back with a note to take some time to relax before the big day. Another friend was going to the Mediterranean for honeymoon and we kitted her out with everything you need for nice beach holiday (she has a model's body so it was dead easy), sandals to bathing suits.

Had a lovely day today reminiscing !

Mam had had a bit of a sort out and came across a bag of letters and cards and things.

35 years ago I lived and worked abroad ....

Well , she found a bag that contained letters I had wrote and cards sent for birthdays and things !

I read the first letter I sent that after I had arrived ! 😅😅.

It was strange because reading them took me straight back to that day /few few weeks !

Very hard to organise phone calls then ! 😅😅..

I use to buy a phone card for the public phone box as otherwise I was just constantly putting money in the slot and couldn't hear what they were saying !!

Work were lovely and set a set time and set day per week when mam and dad could ring me from the UK on their phone.

But proper gossip was all done by letter !! 😅

It was always a Monday at 8 pm !!
Which was her 7 pm .

Got a bit confusing on the clock change situation..

My country changed their clocks a different week/month !