Countdown to Christmas 2023: get past the post-Christmas slump by thinking about the next one! (Thread 1.)

[NoWordForFluffy]

364

Morning (just)!

I failed at eating yesterday which meant I got blotto far too early and wasn't well. Oops! 🙈

But we had a great time anyway and I avoided having to tidy up!

Countdown to next year is go go go! 🎄🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻🎄🎅🏻

228

Morning!

I'm on a train on the way to see my shoulder surgeon. This is the NHS appt to get me referred for surgery. Again. I'm hoping this guy does a better job of it than the last one!

Your chicks must be ahead of ours, Puss. The one from yesterday morning hasn't been seen again. The adults sit on the gutter opposite the entrance to their nests, yelling encouragement at the babies to come out! 🤣🤣

Wreck, that's not good re DD. Any more word on her referral?

Just spent two hours on hold to see where the referrals are and they have no record of them 🙄

That's frustrating Wreck 😡 I hope things start moving for you soon.

A family member of mine is waiting for an 'urgent' counselling referral. Wait time is approx 6 months

Hope your appointment went well Fluffy

Same old here, worst period of my life continues. I'm too scared to leave the house right now so I'm pretty much just working and crocheting with a hot water bottle on me, and even with that I'm not particularly productive!

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Missing the bank holiday this weekend!

I hope everyone that's been unwell starts to feel better soon. Nothing much planned here for the weekend. There's definitely ironing on the horizon and I'll be watching Eurovision with a glass of something strong tomorrow.

I feel you need a drinking game for Eurovision, Down! 🤔🤣 We won't be watching, or going anywhere near Liverpool while it's on. Apparently the hotels here are all rammed too, so it's good for the local economy.

I had a conversation with another solicitor today about it being harsh that we have no BH on Monday. 😀

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Bank Holidays are no good for the NHS Fluffy , a quart won't go into a pint pot , we are misssing three full days of appointments in our service this month.
But it's blood great for the NHS staff to have those days off

Hope the shoulder appointment was fruitful.

Wreck they should be chasing up the referals from source , there should be an email trail from when they were sent (was it from your GP?)

Crazy

I planted runner beans in my little greenhouse , potted them out when they were big enough, .....and along came the snails. Poor seedlings are just sticks now . No leaves .There's an abundance of things they could eat but no. My runner beans were picked on. <sigh>

We’ve had one sent from a consultant at a different hospital and then one asking for it to be expedited from the GP. And now on call
Paeds have told the GP to send one via the rapid referral route but as far as I know there’s no specified time frame for that either. We’re pretty sure it’s long covid but I’ve got school on my back asking me what the plan is and wanting copies of all medical appointments and so far DD’s attendance for this term is less than 50%. She needs further bloods to rule out anything else before we can be referred to a long covid clinic and only a paediatrician can request these tests and then refer 🤯 The Trust have a new centralised referrals system (bearing in mind this Trust covers a whole county and has many hospitals) and it seems it’s a nightmare to navigate. Someone we saw last week told dd she needs to stop worrying about it and take a few deep breaths as worrying is making it worse. Dd isn’t worried she’s just fed up. They probably think I’m an anxious parent but I’m really not, I’m pretty sure I know what it is and just want something doing about it without having to wait months and spend loads of time chasing things and fending off school!

How frustrating, Wreck. Bureaucratic nightmare.

It is stunning here today. Really warm. I've gone a bit pink and crispy! 😳

70, it's usually my sunflowers which get eaten by slimy things. My peas have been attacked by Phil the Pheasant, but as I grow loads of peas, we'll still have plenty!

My sweetcorn and beetroot have gone in the ground today. I had to buy more chicken manure from the allotment shop to put in each hole where the sweetcorn was being planted. It does wonders!

225

Morning!

It's started nice here today, but we're apparently due rain later on. Time will tell if it's going to bother appearing though. Hopefully the washing will dry before it starts!

I have some housework to do today, but not much else really.

Lovely morning here. "D"H got me up at half 5.

Watched Eurovish until after midnight the bookies got the winner right again. If you're not of a nervous disposition and fancy a laugh watch Croatia...and Germany.
Don't mind Sweden winning - we might get Mans presenting next yr. 😍🌳

Plenty of baby starlings hoovering the back lawn - some are working out what a "window" is the hard 🤕 way. It's lucky they're fairly bouncy when they're babies. The poor Woodys and Sparrows seem to be left in charge of the creche.

The babies twatted the windows here loads last year. I'm hoping it won't be as much of an issue this year now we put the food higher up!

<thud> 🤕
that's 6 so far.

But is it 6 different ones or one very daft one?!

We had SO many crash last year. Are the windows near to where you're feeding them? Can you move the food, if so?

Dunno 🤷‍♀️ if it's the same one, his brain will be rattling by now.

The food is put at the back of the lawn/far patio. Short of asking NDNs at the back if I can take the fence panels out I can't really put it much further away
I've dropped the blinds on the kitchen windows & door, conservatory and office and pulled the curtains in the back bedrooms - I think they see the reflection of the sky when the sun is out?

You need to position the cats near the window pussycat they can "helpfully" re-direct the birds.

I planted some sunflowers in the greenhouse , when they're bigger they can go out and hopefully DH won't think they're weeds

DH did the lawn today , I'm just going to wander out to bring the washing indoors then the cats can be fed. They're loitering with intent as they know there's chicken waiting for them.

70, FluffyDog had a small amount of partridge today as did we; damn, those birds are small! He loved it! 😋

I put my sunflowers in the ground at the allotment last week. I have put 3 more seeds in pots though, as we have a work competition to grow the tallest sunflower! They sprouted yesterday and will also go into the allotment once big enough.

We closed our curtains last year too, Puss. I think it helped IIRC. The sound of clunking birds is awful. 🙁

I don't need to tell the cats to go in the windows, 70, they do that anyway. 🙄 Free entertainment for them.

224

Morning!

It's a nice day today. Bit breezy, but good for drying washing!

Puss, FluffyDog loves sitting in the window, nosing out.

I get through so much kitchen roll and spray on windowlene at this time of year...I should have shares in the stuff. 😺

223

Morning, we had work men in yesterday to fix the big hole in my living room ceiling yesterday, I cant believe we lived with it for a full year! just waiting for the plaster to dry then I'm going to paint it, got some other jobs done as well new shelves in the welsh dresser and airing cupboard and a pipe repair in the garden too, hoping to get the loft boarded in the summer and maybe new bedroom carpet but houses are so bloody expensive!

I need some sort of wizard to come and look at my kitchen to work out how to fit the dishwasher in because ours has been sat in the garage for nearly 3 years now and I am so fed up of it!

May is speeding by, I think it is because of all the bhols

Hi Everyone,

I am trying to do some research for our favourite time of year and I'm wondering if you can help me to help you! It will only take 60 seconds and it might solve your Christmas decorating problems!

Christmas Survey

Evening. Another quick check in from me. There's a lot going on here and I feel a bit battered from all angles. It seems my MH isn't quite as strong/resilient as I thought it was so I'm trying to focus on the small positives. Today it is that my house is clean and tidy and most of my plants are coming on ok.
I spent quite a nice half hour sat in the garden today, just staring into space. Heard lots of birds but didn't see a single one.

Absolutely nothing festive going on here at all except for some research, looking for an indoor plant that will have some sort of white or red flower in December (and not a Christmas cactus) if anyone has any ideas?

Jamie what is the survey going to be used for? I'm not comfortable clicking on a random link posted here sorry.

Evening!

Busy old day again. But when is it not?!

Crazy, sorry you're under the cosh, it can't be fun for you.

Hairspray, you're a saint having your dishwasher in the garage for that long! I'd have gone on strike by now. 🤣

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Amazed 70 didn't get in before me!

Evening!

I've just been to the allotment to water as I can't remember when it last rained. The weeds are having fun growing, anyway! 🙄 I put 15 more runner beans in the ground while I was there. Just 3 more canes to fill now.

The birds are rattling through the seeds at the moment. Baby birdies must be hungry.

we got the thing as a blumin' wedding present but out kitchen is TINY and it just wont fit, handyman suggested removing the sink and swapping to a right hand bowl then fitting it in that way so that is a possibility it feels like we are permanently skint atm though so I don't know where the money is coming from to do it