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Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day

835 replies

Mumtobabyhavoc · 18/01/2026 00:25

Previous:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/chat/5361906-come-and-tell-us-your-dull-and-unexciting-news-34-calmly-through-the-day?page=1

A quiet and friendly corner of MN to share the very dull day to day happenings of our lives. No criticisms, political discussions or controversies here - unless it is along the lines of "scone" v "scahn" and jam or cream first. Then it's gloves off! 😁

How did this start? I have found v.2, but not the original:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/chat/4006800-Come-and-tell-me-your-dull-and-unexciting-news-THE-SEQUEL?page=1

OP posts:
Thread gallery
223
MaybeIamJustABitch · 23/05/2026 05:05

I made a friend/comrade at work (having worked in this company just over 2 years, albeit WFH, which makes it more complicated).

They are someone who I hope is genuine, and sees my side, whilst I see theirs, but we are doing our job for the greater good and being paid, at the end of the day. The older I get the more cynical I get, so I’ll be guarded yet hope my genuine efforts aren’t a waste of time.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 23/05/2026 05:16

It was pretty warm here today - about 25c.

Hope things work out friend-wise @MaybeIamJustABitch

Pizza sounds yum Math.

Was just chatting about grocery prices. Ugh. I spent $150 a few days ago and another $75 today. Gas prices dropped a bit to around $2.12/litre. That's about $8USD/gallon and about £5.20/UK gallon, I think. 🤔

OP posts:
MissConductUS · 23/05/2026 19:18

Uman, have your grandsons cooked for you before? I assume they'll be deciding on the menu.

Math, a three-season porch sounds lovely. I don't think I've ever seen one in New York. And we're watching the bank accounts like a hawk in case there are any further fraud attempts. The fraudster must have been quite annoyed after being turned away with nothing after going to the trouble of forging DH's driver's license. It was really bold of him to walk into the bank branch to use it.

Maybe, it's very hard to socialize with colleagues when you're working from home. I hated it during covid.

Havoc, gasoline is about $4.50 a US gallon here. Since I no longer commute to work, I use very little just running errands.

I've decided to splurge on some super plush bath sheets and a bathrobe that are on sale for Memorial Day.

https://www.brooklinen.com/pages/all-bath

I've wanted one of their bathrobes for years. They're the same ones that many posh hotels provide. After ordering the robe, I decided to get some matching bath sheets. The ones we have now are a bit old and scratchy.

We had two very hot days this past week, which caused my peonies in the front garden to open. I've transplanted my Zinnia seedlings into my self-watering containers, so we'll see how they do this summer. And while I was in the garden, I looked down and saw this superbly camouflaged little fellow. The ability of our local tree frog population to do this never ceases to amaze me.

Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
Mumtobabyhavoc · 23/05/2026 21:15

Miss, those towels etc are definitely a splurge! Live the frog pic. Peonies are my favourite flower. They have a very short window, don't they? I think gas is more expensive here on the west coast down all the way to Cali.

OP posts:
EllaDisenchanted · 24/05/2026 11:45

I’ve been trying to be offline lately. Trying to reduce my news addiction.
this morning I went for a long walk. The ground is starting to dry out now so it’s all going to start turning brown for the summer. (Pic from this morning). It’s getting hotter so I’ll have to push myself to go earlier.
we’ve just had a festival, and I made white chocolate citrus cheesecake for it and coffee cheeseballs (obviously alongside the meals). Trying to stop myself scoffing the leftovers and get back on track losing weight 😄

Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
MrsSPenguinz · 24/05/2026 14:34

Those coffee cheeseballs look very tempting @EllaDisenchanted

Hope you have good news from the job interview @MyrtleLion

Our petrol is expensive here at 158p a litre (£7.14 an imperial gallon) - diesel is higher at £1.88 per litre. Luckily we don't use that much of it. Food prices are also going up a lot and will be up 10% by year end.

Though yesterday we did have a long drive out, beautiful weather here, around 28C-31C and sunny all bank holiday weekend. We went to see a shedmaker at their workshop about 2 hours north of here then another journey on to go to RHS Harlow Carr gardens and walked around, lots in blossom.

We went to Bettys tea room whilst in the gardens for lunch and cakes. DH had the flaked salmon and prawn sandwich and a fat rascal with clotted cream and an orange juice. I had the special of the grilled Yorskhire asparagus with a croissant with gruyere, ham and a poached egg, a homemade lemonade and a Yorkshire curd tart overlooking the gardens. Then drove back and had 2 Starbucks drinks, £12.😱I had the strawberry refresher and DH had a iced latte.

We had a quote for a thatched shed as well but it was very high. DH has been accepted for voluntary redundancy, he's happy, but his 93 year old French Mum is very cross with him (she doesn't understand it). He will probably retire early.

https://www.bettys.co.uk/cafe-tea-rooms/our-locations/bettys-harlow-carr?srsltid=AfmBOooP8oPhVJl4-GgEps7oVFLyGOUScn8uuChWiG3lAA2MzMFDsV1d

Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
Mumtobabyhavoc · 24/05/2026 18:45

Penguinz, what a nice outing! Ouch!!! to fuel prices, that works out to roughly $2.93CAD/L. 😫 I agree that those S'bucks drinks are expensive as well. TBH I don't buy, or even enjoy, coffee out anymore. It's too expensive and much better at home. (Although, I am a master home barista) 😁
I noted on the Betty's menu under Sides, Chips and Pomme Frites were listed. Would chips be chunky-cut (best I can come up with, atm) and Pomme Frites skinny-cut?
And how shocking, but likely common, to be orphaned and sold. (Yes, still happens)

Gorgeous morning here. A bit windy, but that has brought the sun out. Breeze feels cool and temp is 15c. I put a load of towels on to wash when I got up around 8:30am and I need to vacuum. I've had two warmed bagels with butter and pbj and two iced lattes. They were the large N.A. style (like heavy bread rolls), so despite the calories, I'll likely be hungry again soon.

OP posts:
MrsSPenguinz · 24/05/2026 19:55

We also hardly ever have Starbucks / drinks from similar out, maybe once a year - we get drinks from McDonalds more often but those are much cheaper like £1 or £2 each and part of meal deals.

I've never seen chips and pommes frites listed differently on menus here - normally would be chips which could be fat or thin. I would guess in that case chips are fat like chip shop chips and pommes frites are thin like McDonalds looking chips.

DH and I just went gardening for 3 hours with the silkies, very hot here 31C today but luckily garden was in shade. DH was working on his classic car with friend from work this morning. Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Its a Bank Holiday here so Monday is off too.

MyrtleLion · 24/05/2026 22:02

It's been over a week and no information on the job or next stages. I'm sure there are reasons. Hopefully I'll hear in the next week.

Also I have started a substack about The Chronicles of Gosie the Gerbil from the Department of Gerbil Affairs. It's a spinoff from The Bluestocking threads.

This might not be your cup of tea, but it's very silly and entirely PG (if the adventures of feminist gerbils appeal to your under-18s).

https://myrtlelion.substack.com/

You can dive right in (rescue mission to save Gosie trapped in an underground cell) or start at the almost beginning.

Writing this with extensive AI help is a thankful distraction from refreshing my email every 30 seconds.

The Department of Gerbil Affairs | Myrtle Lion | Substack

Dispatches, incidents and ongoing administrative concerns from the foot of Peak Woo. Featuring gerbils, capybaras, Gosie and a level of whimsy nobody fully intended. Click to read The Department of Gerbil Affairs, by Myrtle Lion, a Substack publication...

https://myrtlelion.substack.com

MrsSPenguinz · 24/05/2026 23:09

Hope you get good news soon @MyrtleLion

Silkies in garden today.

Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
mathanxiety · 25/05/2026 00:41

We're having a holiday weekend here (Memorial Day). I got a lot of my plants put to the deck and now the sitting room.and dining room look quite bare. I know I'll get used to it, and it's nice to have the deck 'furnished' and feeling like a sitting room.

MrsSPenguinz · 25/05/2026 21:20

DH had the piano tuner round today and the cat was most unimpressed.

Then DH and I went gardening for 2.5 hours - lovely out there with the silkies but was 31C today. 33C tomorrow before cooling to 23-26C for rest of week. The silkies were singing some of the time and the silver one followed me everywhere and sang when I said how's my favourite chicken? Its a little bit challenging to garden with her as soon as I dig she is on top of the soil. She also bashes into me sometimes but its just a whole load of fluff.

We had salads for lunch and dinner - blue cheese, walnut and pear and king prawn, comte cheese, egg both with iceberg lettuce.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 26/05/2026 03:30

Sounds quite productive Penguins. I love that the chickens follow you around. 🩷

It's cool here as it rained a bit all day. It's 12c, raining and windy now.
I had both dc to activities today then took Havoc to Outlets and bought a few things for the kids. Lee's had a pop-up trailer and I bought a bag of day-olds. It's was only $10 and there were a dozen in the bag. A quick blast in the microwave and they're great. 💡😋

https://www.leesdonuts.ca

Lee's Donuts

Lee's Donuts - Vancouver's mom and pop donut shop located in the Granville Island Public Market. Serving handmade, quality, classic donuts since 1979.

https://www.leesdonuts.ca

OP posts:
MissConductUS · 26/05/2026 12:04

Myrtle, I've been on the hiring side, and the recruiting process can move very slowly because there are so many people involved, and most places wait as long as they can to see how many applicants are going to turn up. It's awful for the applicants. I did make sure that people who were not going to advance in the process were told as soon as possible.

Penguinz, how do you feel about your DH taking the redundancy and possibly retiring? It is an adjustment for both spouses. Sorry you've had such hot weather to deal with. 33 C is quite hot if you don't have air conditioning in the house.

We may need to replace our central AC condenser. It lost a pound of refrigerant over the course of a month, which means that there's a leak somewhere. The HVAC bloke is coming on Thursday to do a pressure test to locate the leak. If it's the coil that's leaking, the whole unit has to be replaced. It's about 12 years old, I think, so I guess we've gotten our money's worth from it. Now is actually a good time to do it, as the weather is still fairly moderate and the company isn't that busy. A new one will likely be more energy efficient and less expensive to run as well.

Ella, I have never heard of coffee cheeseballs. Those look fabulous. Do you make them with espresso powder or brewed coffee?

My super-plush bathrobe arrived yesterday, and it is every bit as posh and comfortable as I expected. It's also a bit heavy for this time of year, so It will go in my closet until the fall. The new towels are coming tomorrow and I ordered matching bath mats yesterday, on the last day of the sale. The old bath mats have a rubber backing, which causes problems in the tumble dryer, so I wanted to replace them anyway.

DS came to visit for the long weekend, which was lovely. He made pizza dough on Saturday and then made pepperoni-and-onion pizza for us last night. I love that he lives close enough to come home easily for the weekends. We sent him home with a freezer bag of goodies from Trader Joe's, a specialty grocer we have here but he doesn't in his new town. We love their pork potstickers cooked in our air fryer.

I was outside yesterday and spotted this very large snapping turtle. We're right next to some wetlands, and she must have wandered up from there. It's the time of year when they lay eggs, so she must have been looking for a place to lay them. She wandered back to the wetlands area shortly after I took these pictures. I looks like her shell is a bit damaged, poor thing. And I'm starting to see some buds open on my roses, which is quite promising.

Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
Come and tell us your dull and unexciting news 35: Calmly through the day
MyrtleLion · 26/05/2026 12:41

What's frustrating is knowing they interviewed five people (five slots were offered on a first come, first served basis), and they said the next stage is to meet some of the staff you'll be working with in the next two weeks. But we have a big conference overseas during the week of the bank holiday.

I thought this meant we would meet last week but I think it meant we will arrange it and let you know in the next two weeks.

Umanresources · 26/05/2026 14:36

@MyrtleLion that sounds so frustrating for you. I hope you get to hear soon.

It’s extremely hot today, 30°C and I have a fan blowing on me, over a bowl of cold water. I also have my hand fan. The nurse this morning bandaged both legs, so they are extra toasty! Not much fun in this weather.

we seem to have gone through our supply of salad and fruit during the past 3 days. I’ll look for an online order, rather than waiting for the weekly shop.

My younger grandson had to interview me on Sunday afternoon, on how things had changed from when I was his age. He was writing things down as I was talking about phone calls and letters, when he said, “what should I call this bit? Oh communication I think. He impresses me with his knowledge of the English language. He was questioning me in English, but writing it down in Portuguese. We were actually chatting for just over 2 hours, which was lovely .

@MissConductUS your garden pictures are lovely. I wonder what happened to the snapping turtle’s shell.

I thought it was quite quiet here today. There is usually a bit more traffic going past at this time, but I just checked the local schools are on half term holiday this week.

MyrtleLion · 26/05/2026 15:31

Umanresources · 26/05/2026 14:36

@MyrtleLion that sounds so frustrating for you. I hope you get to hear soon.

It’s extremely hot today, 30°C and I have a fan blowing on me, over a bowl of cold water. I also have my hand fan. The nurse this morning bandaged both legs, so they are extra toasty! Not much fun in this weather.

we seem to have gone through our supply of salad and fruit during the past 3 days. I’ll look for an online order, rather than waiting for the weekly shop.

My younger grandson had to interview me on Sunday afternoon, on how things had changed from when I was his age. He was writing things down as I was talking about phone calls and letters, when he said, “what should I call this bit? Oh communication I think. He impresses me with his knowledge of the English language. He was questioning me in English, but writing it down in Portuguese. We were actually chatting for just over 2 hours, which was lovely .

@MissConductUS your garden pictures are lovely. I wonder what happened to the snapping turtle’s shell.

I thought it was quite quiet here today. There is usually a bit more traffic going past at this time, but I just checked the local schools are on half term holiday this week.

That's lovely, Uman. I love it when I meet children and young people and they blow me away with their knowledge, vocabulary and sophistication.

I have to wear compression socks to control my lymphoedema, particularly in this weather, so I feel your discomfort.

I also received a formal diagnosis of ADHD last week. Which explains a lot. Including finding an empty beer bottle on my bedside table when I went to bed last night. I took it from the living room (on the same floor) to the bedroom so I could use the ensuite before taking it down to the kitchen for dinner. Completely forgot I put it down there.

mathanxiety · 27/05/2026 05:04

Waiting is a miserable experience, Myrtle.

Lovely turtle photos, MissC. Does the shell look a bit bashed?

Penguins I love the idea of singing chickens :-)

Nice bakery bargain, havoc !

I arranged all my deck plants and bought short bungee cords to keep my pots of herbs steady on the deck rail, where they'll get more sun. Hopefully neither wind nor squirrels will tip them over.

Umanresources · 27/05/2026 20:57

@MyrtleLion i think they are avoiding saying I have lymphoedema but I should have a Doppler test soon. One of the nurses measured my legs but wasn’t sure if I should be having wraps or stockings and I’ve no idea! I just know it’s really hot and they feel so heavy when I get in bed.

DD made us tabbouleh tonight and it was so good, really refreshing, followed by strawberries and cream.

I caved and actually did a fruit, vegetable and salad order from Tesco thank goodness. I did get some biscuits as well, as I quite fancied something sweet.

MrsSPenguinz · 27/05/2026 22:01

Love the turtle @MissConductUS and great to have your DS home. Its been OK heat wise here, it did peak at 33C but we have a thatched roof which keeps it cool and have had lots of ice cream / banana splits.

I am happy DH is taking early retirement. He WFH mostly anyway, well half days sometimes in the office, but am used to having him around but now we can do things together in that time and he'll be more relaxed. I have been going through all the finances as its unexpected, think we'll be fine, but prices are rising a lot. I've been moving money into higher interest accounts and I cancelled £350 a year of memberships DH has and doesn't use for him.

Lovely about the interview @Umanresources

That's great you rearranged your plants @mathanxiety

Hope you hear good news soon @MyrtleLion

Enjoy the doughnuts @Mumtobabyhavoc

We got thunder and rain for 30 mins here today and as soon as the thunder started DS went in the garden for the rain. 🤔Cat was less impressed and needed cuddles, he is very cuddly at the moment.

MyrtleLion · 27/05/2026 22:47

Umanresources · 27/05/2026 20:57

@MyrtleLion i think they are avoiding saying I have lymphoedema but I should have a Doppler test soon. One of the nurses measured my legs but wasn’t sure if I should be having wraps or stockings and I’ve no idea! I just know it’s really hot and they feel so heavy when I get in bed.

DD made us tabbouleh tonight and it was so good, really refreshing, followed by strawberries and cream.

I caved and actually did a fruit, vegetable and salad order from Tesco thank goodness. I did get some biscuits as well, as I quite fancied something sweet.

That doesn’t sound helpful. I have had problems since I was a teen and many issues with swelling feet, particularly in humidity.

I eventually had genetic testing and they discovered I have a rare gene mutation never recorded before but on the same gene as other lymphoedema conditions. I was referred to a specialist team, one of only two in the country. Then I had a lymphoscintigram which determined that either I have no working lymph system below the groin or it is so massively deformed I may as well not have one.

I then had a kidney ultrasound because this disorder can cause structural issues in the kidneys and they discovered I have no left kidney.

I have also been referred locally to a compression garment team and a renal specialist.

It is both a profound relief to have been diagnosed and has simultaneously complicated my life. But in this humidity the compression socks have been very helpful in keeping the swelling down.

MyrtleLion · 27/05/2026 22:50

I went a nearby town for lunch with my SIL and her dogs who know who I am. Very lovely and a great chat. Her DS has ASD and is doing his GCSEs so we had a long chat about him gaining independence as well as the usual health discussions of women nearing their 60s.

Such a lovely day.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 28/05/2026 02:42

It's sunny, warm and windy here. Temp says 23c, but it feels much warmer. Have got chicken thighs and carrots in the over and a pot of brown & wild rice on the stove.
Had a GP appt this morning and after lunch took Havoc out to play for about an hour.
I think I'll get the kids out to watch the sunset after dinner.

Retirement sounds great Penguins. I like your ds's idea of being out in the (almost) summer rain. I hope things work out for you Myrtle. Uman, sounds very uncomfortable. 💐

OP posts:
mathanxiety · 28/05/2026 02:57

I sat out on the deck this evening after I came home from work, and was disturbed by the loud squabbling of a pair of squirrels in a nearby tree. It must have been a serious issue as they kept it up for about fifteen minutes. Since the argument was all conducted in squirrel barks and chirps, I don't know what it was about, or whether the matter was ever resolved before they both leapt their separate ways into a nearby tree.

Then a hummingbird arrived at the feeder.

MyrtleLion · 28/05/2026 09:54

Had one of those alarming you don't have enough money in your bank account alerts. Scary because this one is the mortgage and usually by the time I see these (extremely rare) notifications DH has sorted it.

He forgot to make a transfer to cover the electrician who installed the induction hob. Phew! He is very remorseful.

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