Morning all! Hope everyone OK.
We got back yesterday evening in foul mood and foul weather. Trip a bit too short to outweigh stresses of journey! We went to the UK in the end (idea was to do some urgent probate/banking stuff on Fri but dh couldn't find half of the relevant docs so all a bit stressful to put it mildly ie 3 hr frantic search before departure - in his office not mine thankfully - and further delays - so whole point of trip (to help sil) was diminished and weather, winds, and flooding in one area, was a pain.
I swear, that dh and I were so cross with one another at one point that as I stood in the Chunnel car park with dd, I actually contemplated letting dh drive off without us. [Capitulated of course!!]
Anyway, despite all of the above, it was nice to get away ... . Had great time at the zoo (Howletts branch) and we now have poppies which are difficult to get hold of here. And drank lots of 
after getting home last night (first time I've indulged since beginning of July) without ill effects so feeling suprisingly chipper!
How is everyone here? Crikey, I always miss the interesting bits ... !! [Hands Blue large bottle of ]
As one of the original instigators of the thread four years ago, and having only just quickly scanned the last couple of days posting, I'll hope you'll forgive me the following... .
Fwiw, like Toffee, I didn't see Judith's post as deliberately judgemental (agree with what Whoknows has just said about it). And I actually agree with Judith in parts when she says that keeping on top of the household chores take a hell of a lot more time than anyone bargains for.
But I do absolutely see where Just and Bitchy and others are coming from because it did come across as a bit smug imho. (Although I do realise everyone has to find their own way with this.)
But it really isn't as simple as getting off your bum in the evening to do more chores = house nice and orderly and shiny.
I don't have anything like the severity and number of issues to battle with that many of us have on here, but nonetheless, I struggle to keep my house in any sort of decent shape and I feel effing guilty about it frankly given the fact that I don't have full time employment and only 1 child.
The fact is, is that I live in a house that is dark, cold, half empty in parts, half falling down in parts, brick-dust dirty in parts, with holes in the walls and floorboards, chunks of plaster falling off and leaks. And it's located in a part of the world where I wouldn't particularly choose to live if it was my decision - although that has lots advantages - it nonetheless comes with its challenges. We can't afford to fix it atm because all our spare money is going to sil to provide full time support for fil who has advanced dementia 800Km away. So no amount of getting off my bum and tidying in the evening is going to alter the fact that, for the moment, we are camping in this unrenovated house with old, wobbly furniture and are surrounded in a sea of clutter and boxes that has no proper home (owing to lack of permanent proper storage). And it's incredibly demoralising ... .
But this thread, the supportive and lovely people on it, and the Flylady system have kept me sane because it has given me a means of cutting through the crap and focusing on one or two three things that I can control alongside others who are battling too. I honestly don't know what I would have done without it over the years.
And I must be honest too and admit to being lazy inasmuch as the thought of "hoovering high traffic areas like lounges every day/every other day, mopping kitchen floor twice/three times a week etc" fills me with depression and dread. Another important aspect of this system and this thread is to learn how to minimise the time spent doing ground-hog soul-destroying stuff and do much more interesting things instead!!
And finally, finally, (sorry - know I am rambling on here as usual) I do agree with Ellie and others that the people on here are the opposite of spiteful.
We have always really tried to make newcomers feel really welcome and I apologise Revolvenotevole and Judith if you think we have "an entire code of conduct worked out that people must somehow decipher by telepathy". If it comes across that way, it is simply a by-product of knowing one another fairly well because the thread is long-running, and is absolutely NOT something done intentionally to exclude others. Please do stay posting on the thread and you will see that this is the case!
Right, phew, please forgive the long essay, but this thread is really important to me!!
[PS - if you recognise me from the above - please don't out me for the same reason.]
Back to Flying ... .
Ta da:
cleared up kitchen from last night 
unpacked cases
re-booted laundry
made veg soup
made pastry
To do:
long walk to clear my head
sewing with dd
empty dishwasher
puree soup
polish dd school shoes
sort uniform/iron/lay out for tomorrow
admin
two urgent bank payments
get cash from bank
hear dd recite poetry hwk/do guitar practice
Strictly results
Sausage and mash for supper
Early bed