Hello all and welcome to the newcomers 
So, my dears, a whatssap group sounds like a marvellous idea. I can only join if I figure how to disable the notifications, my work environment doesn’t allow them but I have the phone on me constantly due to being a single mother 😂. So once I’ve figured that one out, I’ll be 8Fencing like on here, so we don’t confuse stuff :). Hope that’s ok.
Now, I know the weekends are particularly hard. And lately I have been absent and not much of a suppport. That’s because DD has been away with her dad and my stress level got so stupidly high, I decided (since I’m full of wisdom anyway), to bury myself in work and getting the house sorted. another, has been keeping an eye on me, we went for a walk on the beach, which was lovely.
I keep saying once DD is back at school and I’ll find my routine back etc, but all I seem to be doing is piling more stuff on so I don’t have to think of stuff. I don’t know.
Anyway, we’re away visiting my mum. I’ve already been told this is not my house, force fed and told I’m fat and that I’ve let myself go. Panic not, it does not bother me in the slightest, it’s been going on for 40 odd years, I’m immune to it. I just observe her. Found some very interesting inherited traits that I plan to curb, cause looking at myself, I’m slowly turning into my mother.
Can I propose a challenge for September? Every day, we must think of 5 things we’re grateful for. In a diary, in an especially purchased notebook, here, in your head while you brush your teeth, whatever. Just 5 things. I thought of that reading dragons posts.
Hopeless, what meetup group? I promised to come back and tell you about mine, didn’t I?
It was a hoot!!! I am so going again! We talked about the book a bit then went off on whatever piste, we had such a good time! Met some interesting people, heard a few good stories, it’s nothing to be worried about. One couple came not having even read the book 😂, and everybody was alright with that but wanted them to make up a really good excuse.
Someone suggested we think of 5 things we like and 5 we don’t like about the book, to make the conversation flow. Don’t quite know how we ended up talking about Belgium->holidays-> whatever.
So for those of you worried but would like to try a book club, do it. I didn’t participate an awful lot, they were more interested in my story (I kept it vague, new in town type of thing). But it was fun and I am looking forward to the next one :)
Tomorrow, I’ve got the delights of 4 sets of friends and relatives, at 4 different times of day. Basically, all day. People my mother is friends with. That’s lunch and dinner. One family I’ve met, one is this guy who was meant to visit but then couldn’t so we’re all going round theirs for pizza. Don’t ask.
Family coming for breakfast, I am such a grump till I had my coffee it’s not even funny. We had a 25 min text message conversation about what to have for brekkie. Debating the virtues of the two bakeries in the village, whether to buy coffee and bring it over (what?!!!), who wants what filling for croissants, who’s oranges are best for fresh orange juice (they’re not in season, they’ll be shit no matter what, according to them, cause the trees of X are old, the grocer y imports them etc etc. By the time they finished, they realised it’ll be shut in the morning anyway, it’s Sunday).My mother wants the breakfast dining set from the loft. How I laughed. You’d think she’s talking about the family silver. The loft opening is at least 150 years old. So is the loft. My arse physically could not fit through that hole, it was built by hobbits for hobbits. But she wants the china. DD laughed even harder: WTF is a breakfast dinning set? No way am I going in there, what’s wrong with the normal plates? We’re having croissants from Lidl 😂
Then we have a second dinner. At about 11 pm or something stupid like this. That convo went even better. What shall I cook for you? Don’t worry, we’re coming for pudding. Yes, but before pudding there’s antipasti, plate one and plate two. Would you like some prosciutto? Nope, I still don’t eat meat. Haven’t done for 40 years. Cheese will do. Aha! With salami! No, that’s meat, just with tomatoes. Ok. Then lasagna. You eat beef, yes? No, beef is meat. I still don’t like the taste. Not even chicken? No thank you. I know, iI’ll send uncle to buy fish then, fresh fish. That’s still meat, woman! (Besides, freshly caught fish has got a shed loads of bones. I eat fish, a bit, but I can’t be arsed with the bones).
They’re lovely. I love them. But I’m glad they live hours away from me. By plane. I can’t hear myself think!
Oh well.