Week 47 2025 One Daily Positive and Project 365

Quite a lot has been ticked off my 'to do' list and there has been a lot added, but I made my way through it all. I've been mainly chasing things up but I've also been adding things I enjoy but I've let slip, such as reading and running.

I've joined the local gym that I started on Monday, the weather has been miserable and I'm not a big fan of running at night especially trying to find flat routes that don't involve isolated areas like the industrial park.

I've also been watching a lot more television since discovering new channels on the TV in the bedroom and have been binge watching two channels dedicated to Hoarders and Air Plane Investigations.

Sunday 

Day 319 Woke up feeling crap, physically and mentally. No energy and no desire to do anything. Forced myself up and to clear up the mess I'd dumped in the hall yesterday, take things upstairs and tidy the bedroom and landing. Dragged myself out for a coffee and did some blogging and a small food shop spent the afternoon in the garden, wrapping fleeces on plants, planting bulbs and moving pots as the temps are dropping to below zero. I also sat and read some of my book. Bins out and stuff put in the car ready for drop offs. I felt so much better. Bath and hair wash and lot of little bits and pieces done. Catch up with a few friends on the phone and via messaging all in time ready to watch 'I'm a celeb, get me out of here' then bed.

Monday 

Day 320 I woke with a migraine, took my meds and went into work, I covered English all day, all year groups. No wonder it's so hard when student's switch schools, it's almost lie starting from scratch, esp if it's a different exam board. I cooked a roast dinner enough for two night and some chicken to make a pasta with for my lunch for the next couple of days. I went to the gym for my induction session and spent 30 mins on the rowing machine and cross trainer, followed by a 30 minute run. Evening spent on the phone with my friends, watching TV and reading, bed at 10pm.

Tuesday 

Day 321 I slept through my alarm, felt sick, made a cup of tea and fell back to sleep till midday. I had a bath, got dressed and had dinner number 2 from yesterday. Did some tidying around the house and took myself out into town early evening for a coffee. Hoem and evening spent putting things back in the attic, tidying up the spare bedroom and repacking the christmas decorations and sorting stuff for the tip, recycling and books for mum, work and my friend. Bed at 10pm and straight to sleep.

Wednesday 

Day 322 Back to work after waking to surprise snow which melted by mid morning. Bloody cold. A good day in work with year 11's. Home, cat fed, I got changed and went straight down the gym, followed by a coffee shop visit and bumped into my friend's husband and had a catch up. Home to cook dinner and make a pasta salad for the next 2 days. Did some blogging, had a bath and I made some Christmas cards and wrapped presents in front of the TV. In bed by 10.30pm.

Thursday

Day 323 It's really cold at the moment. Off to work and a good day. I had a little gift in my pigeon hole from my 'secret friend' Home to meet the plumber for a quote for a new bathroom, ensuite and downstairs loo. Earliest he can start the work is March but he can fit the radiator in the kitchen in the next few weeks, which means after 3 years the kitchen will finally be finished. I went out for a coffee and did some blogging, home for dinner, a bath and finish writing my Christmas cards and tidy the box away. Watched Celebrity race across the world and I'm a celeb before bed.

Friday 

Day 324 Clear blue morning skies. The week has flown by, it has helped being busy. Home, changed and down the gym, still not 100% and my arches are really hurting after 2 miles. I really should be increasing my distance by now so I'm looking at new exercises and new running shoes. Washing machine on, dinner cooked, tumble dryer on the go. TV watched, some Christmas presents wrapped and bed at 11pm.

Saturday 

Day 325 A lie in, cat sorted for the day and train into Birmingham. A wander round the City, a bit of shopping, coffee and book read, then off to St Andrews for the 150th anniversary match against Norwich.  football. Our 3rd home win in a row and 4 goals scored in each and only 1 place away from the play offs. home at 7pm to discover I hadn't made the bed grrrr, but Christmas bedding on now, bath, TV and bed.

Things to make you smile:

The kids from school realising I have a life outside of work and being super surprised to see me on the weekend 20 miles away. It happens to be where I live and the nearest town to the school.

Things that make me happy:

Getting my 'to do' list complete 

On the blog this week:

Post Comment Love - Join in with any post written this week

Word of the week - Space

My garden in October

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Post comment Love - 21st-24th November 2025

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Bosworth.Life and I.

Post Comment Love #PoCoLo is a friendly weekly linky where you can link up any blog post you've written this week. If you're new or a regular visitor we're sure you'll find something of interest.

We'd also appreciate your help spreading the #PoCoLo word on Twitter, tag us and we'll RT. You can find us on twitter here: Stephanie - @BosworthLife and Suzanne - @ChickenRuby 

I'll be catching up with reading your posts, sharing and commenting over the next few days. 

I was sad to see the pictures of Monmouth this week after the flash flooding when the River Monnow breached suddenly on Monday night. It's where I did my first parkrun the other week, where my family lived for nearly 20 years, where we had our flat when we lived abroad and where I visit regularly to see close friends of which one had a rental property that has been flooded. The town has suffered badly.

Tuesday morning the Severn had flooded local roads and on Wednesday morning I drove to work in the snow which cleared up quickly. There is a lot more flooding to come. It's really cold at the moment with bitter winds.

I'm off to the football tomorrow, I'll be travelling to Birmingham on the train and wrapping up warm. On Sunday I'm out for breakfast at a local garden centre with a friend and spending the rest of the day cleaning the house.

My last week to get the house sorted before Peter comes home from his holiday in Turkey. Just a few things to drop off with various people, but I think I'm all done now apart from putting the Christmas decorations up which may or may not be done on Monday night. They're behind the sofa so not in the way.

I've written most of the Christmas cards, not many to post this year. I've sent all the cards and gifts that go abroad and we've got child 4 and his family visiting mid December, although we took all their gifts over to them in October and child 2 and his family are coming Christmas Eve till Boxing Day, so I've plenty of time to finish buying their gifts and get them wrapped and under the tree.

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Word of the week - Space

This week's word of the week is Space. Space in my head and space to get things done.

Peter is away in Turkey visiting a friend for two weeks. He's home next Tuesday.

I need the space.

Not from him, but to get things done (see last week's post) and just to be. 

I made a right mess last week getting the Christmas decorations out the loft, tidying the loft space, before putting the camping gear back up there for the winter.

This all got rearranged mid week and the suit cases are going to the tip and the decorations have been repacked into boxes after clearing space in the loft.

The fans and camping gear are back in the loft and all the baby equipment is in the wardrobe.

This is what the room looks like now. Ready for child 4 and his wife and family to visit next month. The car seats are going to between the two DILs and the baby bath is going for donation.

My craft room is now beyond use, however, I now have space in the loft room opposite to sort through things properly and I will be rearranging the furniture in here to make better use of the room, but that's a job for the new year.

The loft room. Along with my craft room, formally the attic which we converted into two bedrooms back in 2005 for 2 of the boys. The metal shelves contain my late fathers stamp collection which I'm slowly working my way through and the boxes contain old pub and car badges which will eventually be going up on the outside wall in the back garden, now I've been had the space to able to sort through them properly.

Before

After

Peter wants to help me and that's great, but I only need the help at certain key points and in between the house is in chaos. I go out to work during the day and he is left with my mess. It's not just about space, it's about time and appreciation of their being another person in the house. I'm used to being able to do jobs at my own speed knowing Peter won't be hone till 6pm and now that is something he benefits from with me in work all day. Like not having to finish these tasks in one go.

Having space to leave non fridge/freezer items out until after I've had a cup of tea and sat down for half an hour without 'where do you want me to put these things? I need to use the microwave'

Having the space to leave the baby clothes out for as long as it takes me to upload them to Vinted without 'where would you like me to put these for you?'

Leaving bowls filled with bleach to soak without having to tell anyone 'careful the bowls in the kitchen have bleach in them'

Taking my time to go through paperwork and recycling on the dining room table without taking up anyone else's space. This lot sorted by Monday.

Leaving things on the stairs in piles for each room to take up towards the end of the day without having to resort because someone else has taken them up and put them in the spare room for me, which is a great help, but I tend to forget to put them away when they're 'out of sight, out of mind' This lot sorted by Monday.

For almost all of the time we've been together apart from when Peter retired in June 2021. I've spent an awful lot of time on my own while he's been working, going away most weeks for the odd night while we lived in the UK, then when we moved to South Africa it felt like he was away every other week somewhere in the world. His working days could see him come home after 7pm most days having left the house at 7am and after the kids left home in 2014 and we moved to Dubai, I spent a lot of time on my own and had an awful lot of space to myself.

I get space to empty my head in the mornings when I wake around 4-5am and I sit in the back room with my laptop and a cup of tea. I will do the things that are bugging me, like sorting my bag out, getting things together that I need to drop off or do. Get my blogging done, write letters and reply to emails.

I don't want to be on my own, this isn't what this post is about, it's about having space every now and then to just be or get things done without interruption from day to day life. It's not just about the physical space, it's about the space not to have to think about things, to not have to communicate my thoughts, my needs, my intentions.

I've got a week left to finish a few jobs and for that I now need to write a list. There's stuff for charity shops which I will be donating to in Monmouth once the ones that were flooded have reopened. Stuff for the skip. Books for mum, books for work, books for my friend and cardboard for recycling all currently sitting in the hall. It was all in the car/van on Wednesday ready for dropping off.

Old sweet tubs on the top floor to go into work for food tech. Packed in the car by Wednesday.

A combination of Christmas decorations to put up, a tree and some decorations to donate, mugs for the charity shop and a pile of paperwork on the sofa to sort through. Paperwork sorted on Tuesday.

Then finally the rest of the baby clothes to upload on Vinted, a pile of artificial flowers to add to wreath and a box of Christmas cards to make and write and presents to wrap to go under the tree.

My plan is to be finished over the weekend. A couple of hours a day after work is all I need as I have the space to spread out on in and not have to worry about getting in anyone else's way.

My Garden in October 2025

There's been a lot of manual labour in the garden in October.

A lot of moving pots around.

A lot of preparing for winter.

I thought about doing some winter planting but decided against it.

This side of the house has been a dumping ground for the past 3 years. It can be accessed via a gate from the front where I can get my bike out, but I haven't ridden it for about 2 years. I emptied it all out, made a pile for the tip, kept the wood I have a few projects lined up for that I haven't yet told Peter about and apart from the grandchildren's bike I now have a walkway are of trip hazards and we can fully access the garden tools, the lawn mower and pressure washer and the fleeces I'll be needing soon for the more delicate plants in the garden.

The garden cushions, grandchildren's toys, my inline skates and a mamod train in the boxes. The grey slabs (front left) are the base for the sun umbrella.

I had a bit of an accident when moving some bricks and the wheelbarrow fell on me and I've a big gash on the back of my ankle, it took me out for a while.

But I completed the job and just have a skip run to do before it rains.

I've made small piles of bricks here temporarily. We've got more behind the shed and we'll be using them to make our new path where these hedges are and digging up the paving slabs to use to make the patio one slab wider so we have space to put the sun umbrella up.

I was getting irritated by how messy it was getting under the covered area and I couldn't access things properly. it looks so much better now the cushion box has a new home. I'll be able to start planning the spring planting now I can access everything.

I've got a couple of projects lined up for the pallets, there was no room down the side the of the house so they have to live here under the cover for now.

They can't been seen from where I sit and I now have room for the coat stand and boot rack.

The Patio and garden furniture was jet washed.

The cloche frame has been built and plants selected that will be going under cover when the time comes. We still get some sun here in the winter, which will help with the frosts.

One bed has been weeded and covered with a poly tunnel to see if the Thai Basil and parsley will survive the winter. Some of it has been potted up to go indoors as well.

The other bed still has tomatoes. Once they have ripened, I'll be digging this bed over and preparing it for spring planting.

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My friend bought us this beautiful rose on the first anniversary's of our daughter's death. As our garden is in containers, it meant this rose needed repotting as soon as possible and over wintering in the greenhouse.

I prepped the greenhouse with a raised wooded floor and lined it with a fleece.

Sun reaches this part of the garden all year round

The last job to do other than putting on the fleeces and the cloche was to repot my bay tree cuttings. Pots were around £3 so I bought these buckets at £1 each from B&Q and Peter drilled drainage holes in the bottom. We're going to use them for the hedge in the front garden along with a few other plants such as a hydrangea, as our box plants aren't doing so well (box blight) and it'll be nice to have a bit of colour in the front, rather than a solid wall of hedge, plus as we live near a school we need to be able to see up and down the road clearly before leaving our drive as sadly many parents let their children just run ahead despite knowing there are driveways.