Dh has died - the MN Aunties are helping me keep on

[JuanPotatoTwo]

New thread, not very imaginative title sorry! I can't remember how to link - having a blank moment.

Morning !
Chilly start here this morning - NDN was scraping his car , but the sun is shining.
Juan - how is the eating going? Hoping you have some appetite back - a person can only cope on maltesers for so long.
I am doing the 'waiting for tradesman' thing today - not sure if its today or tomorrow. So instead of doing breakfast and early chores in my dressing gown ( slobby !) I was dressed and waiting. at 7.15.....Will probably not turn up today, no doubt.
Hope everyone has a good a day as possible
Thoughts and prayers xx

(magi it would be lovely to meet, and have a chat - maybe one day.)

Hi just checking in. Survived the school run and soft play and Tesco with the smallest. Now doing the never ending paperwork while he's snoozing and most annoyed to see Ruth and E on This Morning and that all the rubbish I'd expected has been overtaken by election talk tsk

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could click our fingers and be in one coffee shop bar for a real life chat!

Everyone asleep not long after midnight, younger 2 up about 8 and older 2 awake by 9.
I've dropped my car at the garage for service & MOT (fingers crossed!) seen a friend briefly, cleaned the oven and started sorting through some paperwork.

Nice day here - hope everyone is well.

Mine's a cappuccino and lemon drizzle thanks for asking Next round's on me.

Juan and squirrels it is true what bookbook says to take care of eating as the weight fell off me (it was the shock) and its very easy to just forget to eat as you are in a difficult place. I'm sure we would all love to take turns in dropping by with Chicken Soup. So we will have to do it virtually instead 🍜

Constant
Laughing at you surviving the school run and soft play (Soft play should have free valium for the mothers in my opinion)

I managed to get teen up before 8 am this morning its a flipping miracle! Well I did start at 7am tbh! It cant last.

I am bored with all the election talk already, we are going to get weeks of this... basically we are all stuck between a rock and a hard place. Let the tories stay just for 'brexit management' and let them continue to rip into the disabled and the vulnerable or have those other wishy washy lots fight through a coalition. Colour me not thrilled at either prospect. I'm with BIlly Connoly on this if they want to be an mp it should automatically disqualify them

I would be in that coffee shop in an instant. Its my weekly treat to myself, a large latte and a pastry and a long read of my current book. Heaven. But it would be even better with good company.

Book dont talk about builders! I have had them 'not here/here/not here' for months. Were supposed to come saturday morning and fix bits in upstairs rooms. Have the contents of my bathroom in boxes in bedrooms, pulled bed etc away from my bedroom window, curtains down --still waiting for them. Sick to death of it.

Hope everyone is having a good morning and the sun is shining for you.

Sorry I think it looks like Chicken Chowmein. Need to put my glasses on I swear these icons are getting smaller...

Oh my post replying to people wouldn't post and now you've all moved on!

I think I'm eating okay, I did 5:2 and lost 2&1/2 stone two years ago, then lost another 1/2 stone when John was diagnosed a year ago. Generally I'm doing 6:1 or 5:2-lite to maintain, and I think I'm okay atm although I haven't weighed myself for a while - my clothes fit doesn't seem to have changed. And I have lots of Easter chocolate in the fridge if I need a boost!

Hope the tradesman turned up book and busy you cake

Hah!
I was lucky - he rang to apologise that he couldn't get to us today ( which we guessed when he booked it - I'm sure he hadn't factored in Easter....) its rotten Willow isn't it - you get all geared up.
Its beautiful here, the washing is flapping on the line, and I am palming off giving away tomato plants - the too many I sowed are taking over my greenhouse. So off to the allotment shortly, to dig up and give away strawberry plants too. They run everywhere.
A latte and a scone for me please . Lucky its virtual , so no calories .
Have a good afternoon everyone - back later

At least you aren't hanging around for him, enjoy the allotment.

I've just called the DWP really the bereavement claim as had a message from them when we were away to call back. They need to see a copy of our marriage certificate - you'd think it would all be online.

Oh squirrels I've been on the phone to them this morning too! I had to order a copy of our marriage certificate shortly after Mark died as couldn't find the original. There's so much stuff to sort isn't there. The form they've sent me with my bereavement benefit entitlement doesn't add up but both people I've spoken to this morning say that one of the figures I have on my form isn't on theirs and is a mistake. I'm slightly sceptical as I think it should be about £12 more per week than they do but not much I can do.

Builders - we had our en suite redone, work began early November 2015. Four weeks he said it would take - he finished some time in February. I didn't actually mind too much as I liked the man doing it but the rest of the family were thoroughly pissed off and kept telling me about people they knew who'd had massive extensions in a fraction of the time etc etc!

I'm sat in the airport at the minute waiting to pick Dd and boyfriend up. Their flight is delayed but I don't mind - I love airports and I have a cup of tea! I bumped into our next door but one neighbour in town this morning and she asked me how things were. She's a lovely lady but because we live on a busy road we don't have all that much contact with neighbours other than the ones right next door. She didn't know that Mark had died so was pretty shocked to hear. And of course I started crying too. And then when I got home there was a card from a woman I used to be friendly with when the dc were small so that made me sad too. Well, lets face it - I AM sad, full stop.

Mark would love all this GE stuff :(. And I would love if we could all meet in a coffee shop - there's a few nice ones round these parts! I'm not eating properly but no prospect of wasting away - I think the first three weeks I lost weight as my clothes were loose, but now they're not any more

Jaun
Maltesers are the food of the gods so its ok to eat as many as you like. And there is no such thing as a 'sharing pack' thats an urban myth

Funnily enough my builders started in November, they just finished the outside work 2 weeks ago! Still to finish the inside work.

The paperwork is horrendous, I remember when my parents died years ago (not both at once but I did all the paperwork) nothing was ever simple, as it should be at this time. Dont let them sell you short Jaun, get what you are due.

I've got both copies of our wedding certificate - but it was only last June so not really had time to lose it!
I don't think I'll get anything other than the initial £2k. Widows doesn't start till 45, which I'm not quite yet, and I believe married parents only applies to the deceased's children - not step children.
Also got tax credit application forms today having requested online a couple of weeks ago. Again I don't think I'll be entitled based on income, but I'll be down to SSP as of this week - so I'll get the claim in then at least I can adjust to actual income depending on what I do.

"Sharing pack"?' What a ridiculous idea .

I'm so crap at asserting myself - my default setting is always to think I'm in the wrong. But my friend is coming over tomorrow to look over some paperwork - he's an accountant so perhaps he can explain a few things.

Oh dear - I think I might get thrown out of the airport. Seeing people joyfully reunited with returning friends/relatives is making me cry :(.

I'm with daisychain, a cappuccino and slice of lemon drizzle for me. Oh I wish we could meet up, it'd be lovely, but a virtual coffee shop it'll have to be.

There's definitely no such thing as a sharing pack of Maltesers. The very idea

Don't talk to me about builders, I feel everyone's pain. We built our own house many years ago & while the end result was worth it, the build was a nightmare from start to finish. The project over ran, builders kept going AWOL, the plans were all wrong, then we had to move in before it was finished because we had to leave our rented house. I nearly lost my sanity as well as my temper with the builders. Never again.

Juan hope you are now reunited with DD & boyfriend & the tears are happy ones

Oh well if everyone is indulging mines a large latte and an almond croissant please.

Juan there are always tears at an airport, happy and sad, dont feel bad. Hopefully dd has made your tears turn to happy ones now.

I reckon whichever RL coffee shop we would plan to meet in would have to receive prior notice for flood defences to be put up. I think we'd all dissolve into a flood of happy-sad sobs before we even get stuck into the latte's. Damn good job too nothing like some heart felt emotion.

Im sorry both juan and squirrels that you are enburdened with form filling at a time like this. Wouldn't you think they would make life easier when you have been through so much, not harder?.

Stick with it, this too government crapinola will pass

Hope all is well with DD and her DBF juan.

Hope that DD gets in soon, Juan.

Daisy when you said, upthread, that you lived "Out West" - the theme tune from The Good, the Bad & the Ugly came straight into my head. .

Juan - don't you get to see the Dr this week? Maybe when your sleep improves your appetite will as well.

I have met Juan ( ath the one & only MN meet up I've ever been to) but would love to meet all of you.

(Juan is just as lovely in RL as she is here - apart from her annoying fondness for El Pot ).

(((xxx)))

afternoon
Back from the most gorgeous time in the sun at the allotment.
Juan and Chasing - by now you will know that any government department that deals in tax/benefits is also the department where the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Which is bad enough in normal times, but miles worse when you are dealing with all this rubbish going on .
Builders - how long for an en-suite? We had our downstairs shower room stripped back to the brick, and turned into a wet room in 10 working days! Luckily this one is laying a new drive , so at least it doesn't impinge on the house per se.
I bet no one noticed at the airport and at least you were going to see your DD.
I'll let you off eating maltesers then Juan - better that than nothing xx

so slow typing that x-post with all those posts.......!

Hello all. I've had the head off the giant Lindt bunny

Juan I always feel sad when I see reunions and also a bit jealous when I say grandparents out with children.

I've been trying to eat at least one nourishing healthy thing a day - be it some strawberries or soup for lunch or a nice casserole etc. The comfort eating isn't great, but at least I know there's some good stuff too.

Waves to everyone else - I had hot chocolate and half an orange this morning, a very weird combo!

we have a very discreet Green and Blacks organic dark chocolate egg - but small. I would love a Lindt bunny!
Isn't hot chocolate and half an orange just posh chocolate orange?

Mines an Earl Grey and a slice of lemon drizzle and an almond croissant. I live in the midlands and can vouch for a brilliant tea shop.

I ate so many Malteasers when pregnant with DS that I would not have been surprised if he had come out covered in chocolate - like giving birth to a giant malteaser bunny

Evening ladies, hope all well. Just popping in really x