Saturday 30 May 2020

One Daily Positive - Week 22 Started the painting downstairs

I've not been sleeping well last week, haven't done anything differently and in fact I had a really good start and end to the week, had a blip in the middle with anxiety levels when food shopping and I've now booked click and collect from Tesco, now I have a vehicle.

On my list this week is:
Learn to crochet (been carrying this forward since pre lockdown).
Family Tree.
Investigate returning to the OU to finish my degree.
Write letters to care homes, family, friends and continue writing letters for our grandchild for when she is older.

So far I've written about finding out we were going to be grandparents, the build up to the birth and future letters planned are meeting for the first time, why grandad didn't meet up for 2 weeks old, how granny and grandad met, raising dad, uncles and aunty, tales of daddy's childhood, family holidays, living abroad, the cat and dog and other family pets, important others in our lives and what life was like before and during lockdown. At only 8 months old, it will be a while before they get read. I've also bought a Grandparents life story book, but I've left it in Dubai. I've realised since my father died I actually have nothing personal written to me from him. I'll be doing this for future grandchildren also.

145 Sunday The tree in the front garden was cut down today, my friend will collect the logs for her open fire in a fortnights time. I hoovered, cleaned windows (I wish I could persuade the cat to stop sitting on the window sills, she presses her nose against the windows and I seem to be cleaning them daily) I baked a cake and cooked a full Sunday roast, I wrote 12 post cards as part of #postcardsofkindness to care homes around  he UK, then took Bob for a long walk, via a post box. The rest of the day was spent on video calls with friends and kids, doing a jigsaw and finishing off some various crafts.

146 Monday Had new electricity and gas meters installed first thing then off to Waitrose to do my food shop as I'd had to give up on Thursday, also popped int Wilko, no queue for either shop and I treated myself to a hydrangea for the garden. Spent the afternoon batch cooking for the rest of the week, wrote letters, ironed, mowed and watered the lawn and garden thoroughly whilst making dinner. Tried my hand at dot painting, not bad, but not something I'll be doing again, too fiddly.

147 Tuesday The plumber originally said he'd be coming on Thursday but messaged last night to say he was coming today, so up early to remove the bath panel, clean underneath and thoroughly clean a pathway to the bathroom. I spent most of the day just hanging around, couldn't get motivated to do anything. I spent the afternoon removing carpets from the bedrooms, landing and stairs and taking them outside after cutting them into manageable sizes. I then thoroughly hoovered and cleaned the floors, the carpets were in the house when we bought it back in 2002 and after 9 years of tenants, they need replacing, which will happen next week. A lovely response from one of the care homes in the UK I write to.

148 Wednesday A very slow start to the day just couldn't get motivated, then I remembered the green waste bin had been emptied, so I cut the fir tree, the neighbours hedge that had grown over into my front garden and did some weeding, wrote letters, tidied up and got back into my routine in the evening and was in bed at 9pm, can't get used to this long evenings. Still light at bedtime.

149 Thursday Slept for 8 hours solid and woke at 5am, feeling much better. I walked Bob to the post office to buy mum her weekly TV guide and post it plus a care package sent to child 4 and a couple of letters. Afternoon was spent putting up a curtain rail in the main bedroom and writing more letters. The evening was spent sitting on the front door step with my friend and neighbour Debbie, drinking wine.

150 Friday Woke up to the house being a mess, but rather than worrying about tidying up, I loaded Bob in the car and headed up the Malvern Hills for 2 hours, the rest of the day was spent hanging curtiains, sitting in the garden, tidying up. I filled in all the holes in walls around the downstairs, did some gardening and blogging. After tea, garden watered, everything tidied away, bath and bed.
Bob is getting much better going down the hills, he doesn't pull on the lead as much.

151 Saturday I spent the day cleaning the kitchen, hallway and downstairs loo and prepping it for painting, the woodwork has been finished and I'll paint the walls tomorrow. I took Bob out for a walk. I've a video call lined up with my friend Rosie who we met on twitter over 10 years ago now. My friend Cheryl called from South Africa, plus the usual calls with mum and Peter.

On the blog this week.

My Sunday Photo - Maintaining social distancing whilst shopping and visiting family and friends.

I'm still having down days but in general my anxiety in lockdown has greatly improved and I'm off my meds


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32 comments:

  1. Wow, sounds like a busy week ! Great to hear you've had some down time, with your neighbour, walking the dog and doing the unicorn craft kit. Lovely to hear you're writing so many letters, especially for your grandchild - that's a great idea for the future :)

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    1. I'm not sure my son thinks it's a lovely idea, his comment is 'we know that stuff' but it's not for him, I'm keeping a photo copy of each letter in case they get lost over the years

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  2. Sounds like a week of getting things done. So nice writing letters for your grandchild. It would be lovely to read on key birthdays.

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    1. I do hope my son and DIL see the value in them for years to come

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  3. So sorry you haven't been sleeping well. I haven't slept the best either but it's been down to it being too hot.
    The letters you are writing for your grandchild are such a lovely idea.
    That looks so different with the tree being cut down and what a pretty unicorn. x

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    1. I've now cut back the neighbours hedge and the grass is starting to grow nicely. The sleeping, not sleeping is just a pattern I seem to go through

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  4. Your letters to your grandchild sound absolutely lovely! I can't believe she's eight months old already. What a lovely idea to write to care homes too. It must have been nice to have that good night's sleep. I think I would go to bed at 9 if I lived alone too.

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    1. I love going to bed early, can watch TV on the laptop and just drift off

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  5. What a fab idea, writing letters to the grandchildren. Never thought of this idea but 9 kids and 18 yrs to late now.
    Quite right to leave the mess and go out while cool enough to need to.
    I am struggling to get motivated as well. But on Saturday when I knew I was going out I washed my floor before I went, been threatening to do it since earlier in the week.
    I am also finding sleep difficult with the weather and vivid dreams

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    1. It's never too late to start writing to them, tell them funny stories from your childhood

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  6. You are so good doing all those postcards and letters. I am sure they will be appreciated. Your front garden looks very different without the tree, bet it lets a lot more light in without it. I agree with diamond art painting it is fiddly, but the end result is lovely!

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    1. I'm loving the front garden now, not so sure the neighbours are though lol. i've had penpals since I was around 14, i love writing to people and hearing about their lives

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  7. That's some steep hilly walk with Bob! It's so lovely of you to write postcards to care homes, and I love your idea of writing your stories for the grandchild(ren). I keep telling my Mum to write down her stories in a notebook for Eddie and me. She has had a very interesting life, and her childhood memories of life after the war are invaluable. The diamond art sticker is so pretty. Hope you will sleep better this week.

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    1. I bought another diamond art card, as actually it was quite relaxing. My gran didn't write things down, so I started carrying a note book and writing down the things she told me

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  8. The family tree and life story book sound like a great idea! The dot painting looks cool and looks like it requires one to stay absolutely calm. Here's to another busy week

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    1. I don't think I ever have weeks that aren't busy

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  9. That sounds like a busy week. Great to hear you've had some down time, with your neighbour. The walking the dog is fun and the unicorn craft kit. Lovely to hear you're writing so many letters, especially for your grandchild. I really love that idea xx

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    1. I've been writing letters to penpals since I was around 14 years old, got so many friends around the world that I've visited now also

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  10. I am so glad you have arranged to use the click and collect service, I can't believe how awful people are when out and about, it really isn't worth it!
    You must have so much light in your kitchen now that huge tree has been chopped down, must be really refreshing! Writing letters for your grandchild(ren) to read in the future is such a lovely idea, hadn written too will be sp special! A fabulous keepsake! Hope you are having a good week and you are sleeping well! Sim x

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    1. Food shopping has been hit and miss really, I've had 2 deliveries and 1 click and collect from different stores

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  11. I'm impressed by all your letter writing, postcards and parcel sending. It does make quite a difference to the front without the tree. Sounds like progress is being made on jobs for the house now it's easier to get tradespeople in.

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    1. So happy now I've got all the jobs done in the house, i can finally relax now

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  12. Sorry to hear that you haven't been feeling great, I am really impressed by your productivity, I have given up trying to clean the house so it sparkles, the kids trash it again in seconds LOL

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  13. How lovely to write letters like that for your grandchild. I would have loved to have had something like that from my grandparents. Nice to be able to sit out in the sunshine and write them too. Having the tree chopped down must make a huge difference. #project366

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    1. I love writing letters and yes the tree going has made a huge difference, especially with light in the bedroom upstairs

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  14. I think it is lovely that you are planning letters for your grandchild. I asked my grandad to write about his life and I wish I'd asked my other grandparents too. #project366

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    1. I wrote down a lot of the stories my gran and father told me, they said they didn't know what to write when I asked them

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  15. A lot of home improvements done this week...must feel really open and spacious now the tree has gone!

    Such a lovely idea to write letters to the grandchildren for when they are older.

    Hadn't heard of dot painting before...does look a bit fiddly

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    1. the dot painting is like a paint by numbers but you stick on dots instead, it is fiddly, won't be doing any more

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  16. I am trying my hand at diamond painting and wondering why I started it looks similar to yours and is very fiddly. Well done on the carpets, it will be lovely to have new ones I really like the smell of new carpet!

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    1. The diamond painting was ok, but I won't be doing any more, will stick to the jigsaws

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