Come on in, chat thread

[BlackeyedSusan]

Good morning. Come and chat. Somewhere to escape to if the rest of life is too overwhelming..or just to relax.
Help yourself to

Hello @EmmaH2022 . I sometimes use my obsessions as a basis for creative projects. This is also a good use of hyper-focus (if I can get into the right zone). When it happens there is nothing better than being totally focused on a project to the exclusion of everything else - but it's not something I can control very well, unfortunately - it either happens or it doesn't.

But I've done some paintings, embroidery, creative-writing and craft things inspired by things I have become obsessed with, that have given me great pleasure. None of it is of a 'commercial standard' - it's purely done for me, but if you are talented enough it might give you something you could sell online.

My CEV son has covid. Fortunately he's staying "well" so far. He's totally wiped out and having headaches but no temps and or chest issues.
I have symptoms too but they feel a lot less severe than when I had it last year. I'm guessing it's omicron.
I've got this ball of phlegm in my throat that is really getting on my nerves.

ofwarren best wishes for speedy recovery all round

Board yes, I used to start projects and not finish them but that was partly due to crazy working hours. My hours are a lot more civilised now so I can do that. I feel I need a focus. Might be too ambitious but thinking of a multi media art project. It's my sister's 50th in summer. She won't want a fuss but maybe a painting of somewhere we like. I am not a painter...but I feel like it might be a good time to learn and then it could become a dopamine providing hobby. And then I'd spend less time online

So thankful for this thread. I'm ok, been a little down tonight and emotional. Sometimes nothing at all seems to trigger those emotions. Often find I'm there for others, but find myself alone when I need someone. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day

ofwarren Hopefully, having had Covid last year you will have some level of immunity to omicron. That's good that your CEV son hasn't got chest issues so far although the headaches and exhaustion sound terrible. I'm fairly sure I had Delta last year - only got a faint positive on LFT but had all the symptoms - and I had a phlegm ball for about 5 days.

Emma A multi-media project for your sister sounds great - you could incorporate photographs perhaps. Have you ever watched 'The Joy of Painting'? As well as being instructive, it's a very soothing watch - the artist has a wonderfully calming voice and seeing the paintings take shape is satisfying in a sensual sort of way. Acrylics are a good choice for multi-media and avoid the smell of turps taking over your house!

Hello! Had a kids' birthday party this afternoon...in a swimming pool, with a bunch of parents I don't have much in common with. Sitting in bed on my phone feeling too drained to move right now....can't think why 😆

Does anyone remember that episode of Motherland where Julia thinks she can dump the kids at a pool party and run, but she has to stay, and oh....the horror. It was like that.

But the worst bit was afterwards, when we were ushered into a room full of gym equipment for food, and all the gently parented, "spirited" little moppets started running around screeching and waving 6kg dumbbells, while their parents looked on indulgently....🤦‍♀️

Oh, goodness - sounds like a nightmare crackofdoom.

Board I love the Joy of Painting! But yes, it would be acrylics and pastels I guess.

There are some funny videos online with people trying to paint alongside Bob...I gather it doesn't work if you don't buy the products! I live in a small flat though, so definitely not trying oils.

Sorry, multi media was the wrong term...do I mean mixed media? So using a mix of art materials to create one pic, in my case probably acrylics and pastels. Though maybe just one or the other would be fine. I've done a fair bit with pastels and only a little with acrylics.

It's cheesy but the view from the National Gallery is one of her favourites so I could try that.

@boardlikeamirror did you find anything that helped with the phlegm? I feel like ive got sticky, frothy stuff at the back of my throat and it tickles so bad. I can't cough it up.

@ofwarren Nothing other than resting and trying not to 'agitate' it. Coughing phlegm up was useless as it was painful and there was always still some there. It did feel temporarily better if I had a hot steamy bath but as soon as I was out of the humidity it came back again.

ofwarren you could gargle with warm water and salt.

Also, is it post nasl drip? Otrivine spray might help.

*nasal

ofwarren I hope you and your dcs are doing okay this morning and that the covid isn't too bad.

Hope everyone else is doing okay 😀

The flippin' neighbour has just been power washing his wife's car 😱😱😱 it's really only 07:30 due to the clock change! Wtf is he thinking?!

Barrow that would tip me over the edge. Power/garden tools are a big trigger.

My children are perkier today thankfully. My son who's CEV is the one who's waiting for diagnosis and it's really interesting listening to him describe his symptoms. He said he has a swirly brain at the front of his head. He said its not making him feel dizzy or affecting his eyes but it just feels like when you swill mouthwash after brushing your teeth, but in your brain! Very descriptive for a 7 year old I thought

Aw, bless him, a 'swirly head' is a great description 😄 can anyone in your house get to the chemists or supermarket? Sambucol (elderberry) is a great natural antiviral and has been clinically tested.

The neighbour has shut up now. Honestly, they're so annoying. They're very chatty and nosey 🙄 I can't talk to either of them because they freak me out with their endless personal questions.

Oh god, power tools...another of my rants in the whole "impossible to get quiet anywhere" problem.

I have woken up with a cold. Obviously can't take that to 83 year old mum so she is sad too now.

I took an LFT, negative.

Hopefully it won't mutate...

I think there is a cold going around. Ds caught it at college. He had me convinced it was down to allergies, so I was giving him antihistamines 🙄😄 you need Sambucol as well.

Barrow hopefully you didn't get ill?

I get hayfever as well but I woke up with a thumping headache and a bit of a fever so I knew it wasn't that. I'm a great believer in Allicin. It's stopped me catching a few colds when they've been going round at work...or I was just lucky. So I will be taking lots of that.

Poor mum feels a bit unlucky...I missed her birthday lunch last year as I got a cold and now Mother's Day! Shit timing for her. Luckily
I left her card there earlier this week.

My plan for after I came back from mum's was to do a schedule with my shifts, and then a plan for all of April with everything else I want to do, plus boring chores.

Hopefully I will get that done at some point though I feel a bit crap!

Swirly head is a great description and explains why these plans suddenly go wrong. One minute I have a stable head, then a swirly head!

Ds has a four foot exclusion zone to all other humans, so no chance of catching germs from him 😆 he likes hugging the cat though 😄

Hehe! Cats always need hugging! This is a great thread. I've had a bit of an overwhelming week, too much outside stimulation coupled with trying to manage doing stuff for my small business, alongside e-learning for a new part-time role that I should be starting soon to stop myself stressing over having no guaranteed income. Oh, and lost Friday as was sick first thing and spent the rest of the day in bed as it made me feel miserable, I started hrt on Monday so I'm worried it's that. Feeling nauseous now but can't tell if it's actual nausea or fear of it making me think I'm nauseous! Sorry, bit more of a moan than intended, I did have a lovely, quiet evening after spending the day with family! Time alone is just lush when you've been deprived of it!

Pango that sounds like a tough week

Re HRT, when I went on the contraceptive pill, I remember feeling nauseous after a few days, then I had one particulatly bad evening and then it passed. Hopefully yours has passed and it's fear. I get that with other meds.

How's everyone today?

Was up half the night blowing my nose. Called in sick. Have fever and headache as well. Boring.

I'm trying to remodel part of the back garden and planning a new pond, but it's raining and there is a lot of mud 😬 I'm just in the sitting room next to the fire now - a girl can't get wet and muddy 😄

I'm also low carbing and waiting for my Saxenda pen arriving so I can give up food and be gorgeous and skinny 😊 not much chance of that of course 😄

What's a Saxenda pen??

I'm currently contemplating the inevitability of period of low carbing, having put some weight on . It's not much fun if you're a vegetarian leaning vegan! In some ways it was easier when I was younger and completely oblivious to what people thought. I used to comfort myself with food a lot, and was much bigger. Unfortunately, I learnt that it doesn't matter what the body positive movement says- you aren't considered to be as attractive if you're bigger. And, as someone who has always struggled to get a decent boyfriend, I feel I have to stack the odds in my favour as much as possible.

It's an injection to curb your appetite. They're not cheap, but I'm hoping I can get away with a lower dose and only use it twice a day. I often need lower doses of things.

Losing weight is so hard isn't it? 😥 and having to get exercise. I hate walking around outside and I can't go swimming or do sport.

I find vegetarian/vegan is really difficult. I can't cope with the plant milks in tea. I can't eat tofu/soya due to intolerance and can't eat many lentils or beans cos of blood sugars/pre diabetes. I was hoping covid would destroy my sense of taste, but it never did 😬