So when the UK sleeps, we know you other MNers are out there part II

[tadjennyp]

I was looking for thumbwitch's recipe for that cake and found the old thread has disappeared so Linzer and I thought we'd resurrect it!

jenny re: stand mixers, I love mine as I have burnt out the engines of a couple handheld ones before, and the stand mixer gives me the option to walk away while something mixes. Mine has optional attachments for making ice cream and sausages and stuff, but I have never tried them. I like to bake, it's great for cookies and other things that either need hard mixing, have stiff dough, or need several minutes of mixing - and it's tough so I know it will last me many years to come.

stranded I'm glad to hear you're ok. At least there are worse places to be stuck than Miami and you've got cheap accomodation!

linzer (and jenny) I've had moles both frozen and cut off, with stiches - the frozen ones have all grown back, but much smaller. I even managed to cut one off myself with nail clippers. I wouldn't recommend it as mole-removal methods go .

Fingers crossed for jenny and stranded

As for us, we're trying to buy a house - but it needs pretty extensive repairs, so it's looking like the property might be un-mortgagable. Too bad I suppose, it was a magnificent house once that has been driven to this condition by its negligent owners

maren, is it a historical building? Is there any kind of funding that you could access to help renovate it? I know it can be done in the UK sometimes (well, it used to be possible, probably not now!) but don't know about other countries.
Terrible shame if it can't be mortgaged :(

Linzer - hope the mole removal went ok. Mine were taken off very quickly by a GP who specialised in mole removal - the anaesthetic injection hurt worse than anything else! Although having things frozen stings.

Good luck tomorrow Jenny!

Stranded - hope you get home soon.

thumb it's only 30 years old, so it doesn't qualify for historical status even by American standards .

Apparently when it was new it was featured in quite a few design/architecture magazines, but the people who built it sold it to a couple who, well, to put it nicely, trashed it through ignorance and negligence. It's a beautiful post-and-beam house, but they removed a bunch of the gutters and downspouts so the copious amount of rain we get here is forming a little lake under the house instead of draining away. Which of course means some of those supporting beams are rotting and have to be replaced.

Sad really, especially since it was a standout for us in an area where the houses all feel so depressingly similar.

oh my goodness, how utterly depressing. Can't believe people would make such a mess of such a big investment - it's not like they were renting it, they put their own money into it, why wouldn't you look after it??

30y old doesn't even qualify for historical status by Australian standards!!

My boss started talking about what I would have to do to stay in the states more than 2 years today. Must be making the right impressions . I have a sneaky suspicion though that I'm only the favourite until a new one comes along.

climber

yes, it IS depressing, thumb. The worst part is, we just can't get the financing to fix that much damage, but if the owners refinanced to fix it they would be able to in a heartbeat (and then sell it for way more than we could afford). So they not only caused the problem, they were the only ones with the ability to fix it - but they won't (well, can't at this point, they are defaulting on their mortgage, but they could have when they refinanced in 2006).

Anyway, yes, depressing. Doubly depressing because the house will just foreclose and fall down since no one has or can get the money to fix it :(

Good luck, climber!

Yay, monitoring went fine and the OB is really pleased with him. That is such a relief . Hope you are all having a great Thursday - I'm just in a bit of a daze really.

By him, I meant the baby, of course! Still haven't thought of a name for him but I feel that I can go ahead and buy stuff now and really embrace the idea of becoming a mother again. Woo-hoo!

yes woo-hoo lovely news

fantastic news, jenny

Great news jenny, that must be a weight off your mind.

maren What a shame about the house - is there any chance you might still be able to buy it?

Well, I had my mole out yesterday, so am glad that's out of the way. I have to go back in a fortnight to have the stitches out so will get the results then, but the dermatologist doesn't think it's anything to worry about.

good news linzer

That's great Linzer - take care of your stitches though as they can be really sore.

Sorry about the house Maren.

The stitches are quite sore atm, I must admit - have to keep telling myself it's nothing compared to a C-section!

I've been snowed under with work this week, but it makes a nice change as it had been quiet for so long before that. How's the German teaching going, jenny?

Boo re sore stitches, Linzer - keep an eye on them, if they get raised and red, they might be getting infected so you'll need to get them seen to.

Jenny - that's great news re. baby - very pleased for you and hope everything continues to go well.

Am feeling low, sluggish and slightly depressed at the mo. Probably because it's been peeing with rain for the last couple of days, although I don't normally mind rain. Just don't feel like doing anything apart from lounging around the house, MNing while DS gets on with playing/watching ABC2/drawing etc. Am even finding it difficult to read the book I am on at the moment - that is Not Good.
I do feel like this house is a bit of an energy drain, don't know why.

Sorry to hear you're feeling low, thumb - I have days like that sometimes, but often find that getting out and meeting friends helps. Have you been stuck in the house because of the rain? Another reason I try to get out if I'm feeling down is that it gets me away from the never-ending list of stuff to do (from washing to tidying up) - it's a thankless task as the house is impossible to keep tidy for more than about 5 minutes if the DC are around and as for housework... well, it's never done (and if it is, it needs doing again a few days later).

On the other hand, MN can be a godsend on days like these - some human interaction when I'm stuck at home working and adult conversation if I'm stuck at home with the DC!

The stitches seem to be less sore now, thanks; I can still feel them, but they're not even really uncomfortable any more (unless I forget and sit down on the toilet with too much vigour - ouch!).

The German teaching may only be 2 hours a week but it does save my sanity. Glad you have lots to do Linzer and that the stitches are feeling better.

Sorry you are feeling down Thumb and hope you have some fun plans for the weekend. Getting out of the house always does wonders for me!

I agree thumb there must be some museums/galleries. They normally have some good cafes attached.

It's so hard to pull yourself together and do something, I struggle quite a bit with this myself. Hence the fact I always look to be quite busy (in fact I have to really make myself do practically everything)

I would LOL at the idea of museums/galleries where we are, climber but it would be rude because I know you meant it as a helpful suggestion. There are galleries but they are in Sydney - and although DH started the day suggesting that we all go into Sydney because he had some stuff to drop off at the office, he soon changed his mind because the rain level was too much - the drive would have been quite dangerous and really there is no point unless we already have something specific planned.

Our town is a rural town - most of the "to do" things are outdoor things, or shopping. And the world and his wife go shopping here when it rains so that's a bit of a non-starter as well!
We had visitors today though so that helped - MIL came over because she is away to Brisbane tomorrow for a fortnight, and one of DH's uncles also popped over because he had been to the market. We didn't go because of the rain - the only things there were the animal/bird auctions, so it wouldn't have been much fun for DS anyway.

I should do some baking - but even the thought of that feels like too much hard work! This happens periodically, I'm not sure why, I just get very listless.

Normal service should resume soon!

I thought you were in a city, sorry.

Hobby time for you then (painting, reading, crafts, knitting , photography, clothes making -solve that big boy santa outfit problem).

Jan/Feb is the killer for me, but normally have a 2 week blip in Sept. Just getting out of bed is an effort and I tend to emotionally switch off from everything.

Oh, how about your 30 day shred DVD (or something a little lighter)? As much as you don't want to, exercise does work. You maybe teach DS a exercise routine that you do together, simple stretches etc. Tell him that you have to do it everyday, so that he comes to you and says we have to our exercises now?

Sorry don't mean to be patronising, just throwing out some suggestions and hoping one of them sticks

No it doesn't sound patronising at all, I do appreciate it (or will more when I'm not feeling quite so negative!)

Reading is my main hobby but I just don't feel like it, which is a Bad Sign.
I have tried doing crafts with DS but he doesn't do it right and I am too much of a control freak to waste the materials letting him do it himself [bad mummy emoticon]
I am Not Allowed to do knitting or sewing unless DS is asleep because he keeps grabbing at my hands (dangerous) and wants "cuds" all the time.

You are absolutely 100% right about the exercise dvd and in fact Ds has done it with me before now - but at the moment, any exercise induces a revolting cough, with the catarrh from The Evil Virus from Hell still lurking around.

There - I have successfully been completely negative. Do I get some kind of prize?

It will wear off - thinking about it, I think it's post-viral fatigue as much as anything. :)

Are you getting enough sleep at the moment, thumb? I find a good night's sleep can often put things into perspective.

The fact that you know it will wear off is a good sign - I think the worst times are when you can't see things getting any better for the foreseeable future. And hopefully the rain will clear up soon so that you can get out more.

I'm also too much of a control freak when it comes to crafts; too much of a mess and I often end up doing most of it myself. However, DD1 and DD2 have learned to disappear upstairs to do any craft-like activities and to reappear with their finished creation!

I get really down from time to time thumb but I have joined a gym recently which really seems to have improved my energy levels. Is there anything like that near you with childcare attached?

All mine are at school so I was hoping to work P/T by now but I was self-employed for yonks in England relying on contacts for work and I just can't find anything decent here. I didn't even get an interview for one job I really fancied that I thought was perfect for, and got turned down for another recently because of my Irish accent which is actually quite funny as half the people I meet here assume I'm Australian anyway, the other half think I'm English.

Maybe when the sun finally shines again and our pool is finished (should be filled this week but currently full of rainwater and all the tradies are weeks behind because of the weather) you can make a daytrip to Turramurra - can't be too far on the train for you.

sunnyd - there is a 24h gym near us, would you believe? I know it's a good idea but I hate gym work and don't do too well by myself. I used to be fine when I did circuit training in a group; I can't do aerobics because I hate it and I have ishoos with heartrate and joints; we have our own pool so whenever the weather improves I'll get into that again (but hard when you have a nearly 3yo to deal with as well and I'm not the best swimmer myself so DH has to be around too). I like dancing - I was doing bellydancing in England which was good but there's nothing like that close by.

I got dumped from my prospective P/T job before I even started because of the Evil Virus from Hell - part of me doesn't care at all and part of me is a bit pissed off about it.

Turramurra is about 1h20 by train, according to DH - so if you want to come up to ours to escape the tradies for a day, see some kangaroos (a lot of kangaroos) and have a swim, let me know! :) We are in Morisset.