Countdown to Christmas 2022: The January sales edition (AKA, 'Where the bloody hell have I put that?' come next Christmas!) Thread 1

[ThatsMySantaHisBeardIsSoFluffy]

365

Here we go, roll up, roll up!

I can barely move; I'm full of cheese and Bailey's. 🐷

Here's our new thread for the new countdown! 🎄🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻

I'm pleased you got the diagnosis. The only things ds exhibits is extreme social anxiety, some sensory issues (can take ages to get his socks on and comfortable, if he has a drop of wee on his pants he gets really upset and has to change them straight away, always likes his hood up, wretches at the thought/sight or mud or poo...). He does sometimes have 'meltdowns' I got home this evening to find he'd had an argument with dd and trashed his room plus thrown everything he walked passed on the floor. I don't think any of this would get a referral accepted to CAMHS or paeds round here though I guess it's more giving him the tools to deal with these issues.

Sorry Fluffy. It was insensitive of me to say it was fantastic news. I should have said that it is good that you have a formal diagnosis with the prospect of help and support.

They were all things the psychologist asked us about today, Wreck.

Don't worry, Woolly, I knew what you meant! 🙂

320

Ooh, I missed that it was Dusty Bin day yesterday! 🤣

Back to work today. No doubt it'll be manic. Hurrah. 🙄

Tom hiddlestone did a guest appearance at our local theatre last night. Ds will be very jealous of my friend who met him.

I've got another busy couple of days at work. Friday is looking quiet thankfully. I need to get fuel in a minute, I've only got ten miles left despite filling up less than a week ago 😭

Morning. Cold and grey here.
Yesterday was a disaster (tmi - I had to leave a meeting by mid way through because of flooding) which means I also had to explain to my manager what's been happening. She was very sympathetic and lovely about it but still 😩
Spoke to GP on the phone because this has been period from hell and is now on day 13. Was told basically it's probably a mix of things (including - unofficially - the vaccine) and not a lot they can do right now but to call back if my next one is the same 🙄

Wreck I have the opposite car issue - I have to drive around pointlessly today because my car hasn't moved since Friday and if I leave it for a week or so the battery tends to run flat.
Is fuel still really expensive where you are?

Fluffy I'm glad your ds got his diagnosis. Did they explain it to him? How is he feeling about it? This should open up some extra support for you shouldn't it?

I think I've said before that dnephew is most likely autistic but can't be diagnosed yet because of his age and some of the delays due to CP.
He is very particular about clothing (will not wear shorts or T-shirts, trousers need to be elasticated at the bottom, socks must be pulled up as far as they will go) and there are foods he won't eat because they 'feel funny.'
When he gets overwhelmed Dsis has worked out that it helps him to go somewhere quiet - he often goes into a corner, pulls his blanket over his head or crouches so his head is on the floor, and will either stroke a particular part of the blanket that has a rough texture or run something (a toy car usually) along his face or arms and it soothes him.
Sounds a bit much but before he could speak he would bang his head on the floor when frustrated, worked up or overwhelmed so the new way is much better.

One thing they have told dsis is that it's very hard to get a child out of a meltdown when it starts so the options are to either spot the warnings and avert it altogether or let it happen but teach them how to keep themselves safe and have things available that helps sooth them when they're starting to 'come back down'

Oh no crazy sorry you're still suffering. Yeah it's pretty expensive £1.49.5 for petrol

That's awful crazy. Flooding after 13 days is terrible. Did the gp give you anything to ease the bleeding?

Fluffy it's good that you've got a diagnosis. My friend was recently diagnosed and she wishes there was the support when she was younger.

I just had dds parents evening. Her history teacher called her one of the most exceptional history students 😭😭 almost cried.

Dh isn't home yet. Something about a digger and tracks coming off.

Next one, Crazy?! You've got to bloody finish this one first. I'm amazed they weren't more concerned about the blood loss after this long.

I don't think DS has learned how to soothe himself yet. I wish he would, maybe now he will, now he knows why he has meltdowns. I think he's glad he understands the reason for his meltdowns though. And fingers crossed we get more some support now, yes.

Fuel prices are hideous here, it has to be said. Just something else to pay for along with everything else on the way up. 🙄

Crazy I can't remember if you mentioned if your GP has checked your iron levels but if you are prone to heavy periods (and now long ones) you might need to get it checked.

Wreck that's lovely - you must be so proud of your DD

Fluffy I was reading a thread on here yesterday about the new E10 fuel not being as efficient. We are all filling up a bit quicker - DD1 needed to stop on the motorway on Saturday for a top up despite filling her tank earlier that morning.

Morning.
Crazy go back to the GP and see a different one. Don't let them leave you like this. Chances are you'll be anaemic and need iron (and stronger than OTC ones).
Wreck Aw, I bet you're so proud of her. It was my favourite subject at school even though I was crap at remembering dates
Woolly I've read that too. And that the environmental and financial cost of producing the Ethanol (which now replaces 10% of the fuel) is higher than just using old-fashioned Petrol.
Prices here are just under £1.50 per litre.
Fluffy I'm sure he'll find what works for him.

I need to go and fill the car. I was holding out in the hope that it would go down a bit but alas...

Nearly broke my neck leaving dc to school. So much black ice on the footpaths.

319

Morning!

Busy, busy again. As ever.

I don't think we had ice here. I don't leave the house overly though! 🤣 I hate black ice / frozen snow. So dangerous.

That's interesting re the fuel not being as efficient. We use dirty diesel. Our price is about 150.9, I think.

T'was frosty first thing (5-6ish) this morning - and will be again tomorrow, apparently. 🤷‍♀️
It's lovely now though, DH is in the conservatory saying how toasty it is with a 2 jumpers and a fleece 🤔
Nero that was a close call I avoid ice after surgery on my back. I'm clumsy enough, so adding ice into the mix really is a recipe for disaster. I tripped over a cat on the stairs yesterday, so already have a limp (she ran at me 😹🤷‍♀️ lucky I didn't tread on her)

You're a bloody liability, Puss! 🙈🤣 How you've managed not to kill yourself yet aided and abetted by a cat I have no clue!

It was nice in a sunny room. The temperature drops really quickly once the sun goes off the windows though.

We don't often get frost here, being on the west coast. You know it's bad if we do! I don't think the courtesy car was frozen this morning.

Our car broke on the way to Chester on Tuesday. We're DH is £186.00 lighter today. Shock absorber mounts or something. 🤷‍♀️

Oh, bugger and OUCH I would have come to get you as I knew where you were going and got you on a train home (after a McD trip )
DH thinks there's something wrong with my bushes.
Stop laughing 😹 it's the steering. It grunts when you put a full-ish lock on to park/turn. I haven't told him his exhaust is beginning to blow.

I know all about bushes stop sniggering at the back as I used to deliver car parts in my youth. They didn't used to be a dear part, but everything is dear now. 🙄

At least we know what the sodding rattle noise was now...and it got fixed quickly! It pays to have a friendly mechanic who's rebuilt your car in recent years.

We didn't have a frost here. It was about 6°. We might have one tomorrow looking at the forecast, it certainly feels chillier.

Dh wants me to help him write his letter of resignation. Can you believe it, after all these years he's finally doing it... and I didn't leave him whilst waiting, I think I deserve a medal

At least I didn't get to tow you in a 1.2 Fiesta that would have been very educational for DS especially the swearing
We had a lovely mechanic, he offered to loan me his Jaguar once!
DH is going to a plumbers merchant tomorrow to try to kidnap find a plumber to fix the showers...
He's said he'll take the polo next wk for it's bushes...although it might be my CV joints?!

Wreck get typing before he changes his mind!
🏆🥇👑

Wow, Wreck...quick, type and email it ASAP!

CV joints are funny looking things. It always amused me that they come with a sachet of lube!

Email?! dh hasn't had a payslip for over a year and his boss has to manually transfer his wages to him twice a month. I'll have to type it and print it off...

We've got our MOT next week. I'm dreading it. Interesting about the fuel being less economical, that certainly fits in with what I've been experiencing.

It breaches employment law not to provide a pay slip! But that doesn't surprise me, given what you've told us.

He usually gets a wad of them in a crusty envelope every now and then

Actually fluffy you'll know the answer to this. If dh buys a van privately (it'll only be a cheap one) how is the best way to pay? Given that he would go and see it then hopefully buy it there and then. It would be too much to do an online transfer via banking app. Should he just try to get to a bank (ha! What's one of those?!) and take out the cash first? I feel like I should know he answer to this as an adult