Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 33: 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's a link to the prior thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5219345-come-and-tell-us-your-dull-and-unexciting-news-32-calmly-through-the-day?reply=140159580

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

My swimming lessons restarted today. I started taking lessons at the end of last summer. I have never been able to swim, I had some disastrous lessons with my school in 1976 and didn't go back into a pool for 48 years. I thought it was important to find an exercise that I could enjoy as I got older and took the leap.
And I love it. It was great to be back in the pool today and I was pleased to discover that I hadn't forgotten anything in the break. My goal for this summer is to swim in the sea.

I went to lunch with my friends today @Mumtobabyhavoc and I’m so pleased that I did. I took my walker, in the end and it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. The sun was shining and the food and company were lovely. I even had a small glass of wine. A new friend joined us and she is a bad influence on me (thank goodness).
Another old friend got in touch with me yesterday. We’ve been friends for years, but she’s had terrible ill health and just dropped away from our friendship group. We are all work colleagues, but a couple of us had been friends for years before that. The oldest friend got in touch yesterday and phoned me twice for a couple of hours. We had such a good time catching up and chatting about our schooldays. We both went to the same primary school and then taught together in another primary school. We agreed that we’d have to do it again, but she doesn’t want to meet up in person, and I’m fine with that.
I’ve had my discount shopping box delivered this morning, so I’ll have to unpack it soon. I discovered the company when I was channel hopping in the early hours. I looked at their site and there are some fabulous deals to be had. The strange thing is, is the company is about 10 minutes away from me, but they are online only and the parcels get sent to the next county first!
It’s sad about the Bay closing down. I remember buying clothes and shoes from there when I lived in Toronto.
@LollyWillow I love that you are taking swimming lessons now. I started to learn at school but never managed it. My parents were told at parents’ evening that I would probably be a good swimmer if I could only take the other leg off the bottom of the pool, as I used to hop across the shallow end. I tried to learn with children when I was a nursery nurse. I had a float then and I was just so slow. My mum’s cousin finally managed to teach me when I was in my 40s. He went underwater and watched me with a float, kicking my legs and none of us could work out why I was travelling backwards! It was their own pool and every day I was in it with my own children. They learned before me but I persevered. The strange thing was I wasn’t scared of water and would happily be in the deep end of the pools, as long as I could hold onto a rail at the side.
Tomorrow is my OH’s birthday and I’ve wrapped all his presents and written his card. I daren’t put them in a safe place, or I’ll forget where they are. I’m wondering now if I should have got him a cake!

Oh, Uman! You are a star!!! 🤩💫⭐️
It's made my morning to read your lovely news. 😊

Myrtle, the latest book nook is very detailed! Good for you! 👏 What do you do with them once complete?

The swimming talk reminds me of our lovely Silkie/Penguins/Penguinsa and it also reminds me of how much I used to love swimming and that I pledged to return to it. 🫣

I put them on a bookshelf among the books! I'll take a picture and show you.

Myrtle, I'm picturing a lillte elf sneaking them here and there onto the shelves at the library. 😊

I went swimming today Lolly it is a great exercise. There were all sorts using the pool. About 6 in swim caps ploughing up and down the lanes, me and some others next swimming up and down at a reasonable pace with lots of breaks. Then a few slow ladies with full make up not putting their heads under. Finally there was an older man who looked like he had mobility issues walking slowly holding onto the side. Everyone found their space in the pool and their own pace.
Love seeing my old school mates Uman, we don’t manage all of us often but great when we do. No one else understands our idiotic jokes.
It was such a lovely sunny day here today. I got out into the garden and filled the green bin ready for collection tomorrow.

The booknooks! And other models.

Myrtle they are absolutely gorgeous. They remind me of The Borrowers, which is my favourite childhood book. The BBC did a superb series, which stayed so true to the books. I always loved the book when they moved into the model village and Homily, the mother, had everything the right size in the houses.
Thank you @Mumtobabyhavoc. I’m glad to be back and in an optimistic frame of mind for a change.

Beautiful book nooks, Myrtle.

We had a fast moving storm his evening that produced a weird greenish light, tornado warnings, huge claps of thunder, hail, and strong wind gusts. It was all over in half an hour. Dcat ran and hid but has now re-emerged and is meowing for treats. Snow tonight, apparently.

Oh, Math. That's a scary sky! 😬I'm glad the storm passed. 😅

It has been a rainy night here. After dinner I took dc out for a walk and a bit of running along West Broadway in the Kits neighbourhood and a treat of a slice of cake at True Confections. The treat was because Havoc had been especially good to baby and had eaten dinner including the arugula mixed into the pasta. It has been a lot of cake this past week, though...🤫
Some pics of the neighbourhood and dinner.

The lights are so beautiful, Havoc!

Are they still up from Christmas? You live in such a wonderful community. I will move there if I ever emigrate to Canada.

Happy Vernal Equinox, everyone! I'm so pleased that we're officially in spring.

Havoc, I think about Penguinsa too. I got a few emails from her after her departure, but nothing recently.

Math, I've never seen it myself, but the green sky during a thunderstorm is a known meteorological phenomena.

Why does the sky sometimes turn green during a thunderstorm?

I worked from home yesterday because I had some annual tests scheduled at the hospital. DS didn't realize I was home when he left in the morning, so he set the alarm to "away" when he left, and I set it off accidentally when I walked past one of the motion detectors. I was near enough to the control panel to shut if off right away, but the cats were not happy about the siren going off.

The plumber returns on Saturday to finish the piping for the gas, and we're still waiting for the quote from the builder to replace the windows.

It was good to see my friend at the weekend. I stay with her if going on a coach holiday from Hampshire or a holiday with her and some other friends. Sadly she is a bit down which is vey unlike her. Her partner has moved in and has some kind of a skin condition. They have ruled out all the usual suspects but he wakes her in the night to put cream on his back. He only wears his pants in the house because clothes irritate him. It is getting them both down. But we did go out one night to the pub for a Sunday lunch. I had the nut roast with gravy and roast spuds and veg. There was a choice of some fish and a pasta dish but I was having those roasties!!! I also went with another friend to a nursery. My first friend was gong over to see her latest great grandson and was going to drop me off at a nursery in the meantime, but my other friend overheard and had some vouchers for Otters so we went there and had a cuppa tea and victoria sponge cake and she got a load of compost, a dahlia, fuchsia. It was lovely to see Hampshire again. We nearly bumped into some donkeys who happened to be the same colour as the surrounding area and they were grazing at the side of the road. It looked beautiful in the sunlight.

However, I remember when mum lived there and when on the bus there were large areas not lit up at all. I panicked the first time. They do not always announce the next stop. Mum's bungalow stood out and always had plenty of lights on so at least I knew where to get off!!

There are still some lights up around me and around Sloane square but I think now these are permanent. Rather nice, isn't it???

Myrtle, Death, I'm not sure why the lights are still up on that part of W Broadway, but I really like it.

I've been awake since just after 2am. It's now almost 4:45am. 🙄

Saw a brilliant play last night with DH, DB, DSIL and DNep.

Drank wine and then had a nightcap but woke at 4.30am. I went back to sleep relatively easily though.

DH has collected the shop and tonight begins DSD's birthday. We will have "family night" when she joins us for a film night then tomorrow will be her birthday meal out and then Sunday is her actual birthday with presents etc.

Lovely to catch up with the news. I fear any news I may have is so dull as to even be too dull for this thread!
@LollyWillowmy mum learnt to swim at 68 years old. I swim several times a week, often in a class which ensures I put the work in instead of stopping after 20 mins because I’m bored!
@Mumtobabyhavocfood looking lovely as usual - I believe arugula is what I know as rocket?
My parents have been visiting, the weather was lovely yesterday so we went for a stroll along the canal and I took them for lunch in a lovely cafe I often frequent. DS2 cooked a pasta dish yesterday for us all.
DS1 is revising hard for his exams and still waiting on one more offer (or not). It was his first interview back in January as well!
i have been on leave this week, and as usual have been less productive than planned but have managed to clean out a few cupboards. Hoping to go for a walk later.

Sprouts, yes, arugula/rocket. I use both terms, but arugula is more common here. The pasta was chopped left-over rotisserie chicken from Costco, grape tomatoes, arugula and feta. How nice your son made dinner for you! It sounds like a perfect day out, too.
which exams is your ds1 prepping for?
💕💕💕
Myrtle, the Kits area is very nice. I watched this house being built over the past year:
www.realtor.ca/real-estate/28042456/2-3081-w-14th-avenue-vancouver

That is beautiful and expensive! My townhouse was bought for about Canadian$867,000 and the mortgage is killing us.

Most survive here having a rental suite. I was just looking at one property with a very nice 2 bed basement apartment and property tax of over 11k p/year.

I love a birthday week Myrtle we often do that for the dc to celebrate properly with different friends and family.
Property tax sounds a bit like our council tax Havoc. We pay that to our local area for things like roads, police etc. It is based on the property value so more expensive properties have to pay more.
I have had a lovely week, say the new Bridget Jones movie and had a day out with a walking group. Sadly came home to news that an old friend has died. He went to school with dh and whilst all the other lads grew up, married and started families he never did. Last we heard he had become addicted to ketamine so we assume that was the cause. He was such a lovely vibrant 19 year old when I met him.

Dandy, yes, property tax is paid to your municipality and covers pretty much the same including some to schools.
I started to watch that film on Prime, but couldn't get into it. I'll give it another try, though. God, awful news about your friend. 💐

Havoc, that house is lovely, but $2.5m and under 1500 square feet? That's insane. Is it in the city center?

Myrtle, are you in Canada or did you just convert the price of your townhouse to Canadian dollars for comparison?

Dandy, we pay property taxes to fund local schools and services too. Ours are about $11k USD per year.

I keep telling myself that we'll get the money back we're spending on fixing up the house when it eventually gets sold.

I keep a pair of Hoka Bondi trainers to walk in at work when I walk around the reservoir. I also track the walks with an app called Runkeeper, and it keeps track of how much I've walked in whatever shoes I'm wearing. My old Hokas (Bondi 8s) hit 250 miles, so I ordered a new pair of Bondi 9s and wore them for the first time today. They are definitely more cushiony, but I don't know it that's just because they are new or because they improved the shoe design.

My driving license is up for renewal later this year, so I have to get my eyesight tested and then I can renew it online. AAA (the American Automobile Association) will do it for members for free, and we are members, so I'm going to try to do it there this weekend.

I converted @MissConductUS .

£468,000 - around US$604,000

It's expensive for our area but it is a three storey, four bedroom, two bathroom and a downstairs cloakroom townhouse.

We moved from London nearly four years ago in the middle of a lockdown, four days after DH crashed the car, so we had to buy a new car in the middle of packing.

We could never have afforded a similar house in London.

Miss, yes, most of us think housing prices are insane, too. I know a lot of people who, despite decent jobs, will never be able to buy a house, hence, the number of suites for rent in people's homes for those that do own. I'm attaching a pic to show proximity of Kits to Downtown. It is a very desirable area. Latest stats say you need an income of about $250k to afford a home here. Most people I know earn about $80-$100k p/year.

Had a lovely day out with Havoc exploring a park and forest trails in the suburb, Burnaby.