Week 8 One Daily Positive and Project 365

A busy week and quite stressful with kitchen work on going, a leak in the roof and sorting out a damp issue in the flat. I also had to deal with a Doctor with no knowledge of my medical history who declared it all the menopause. I'm writing a blog post about why it's not always the menopause for next week.

50 Saturday Walked down to the retail park for eye test and coffee, we got caught in the rain on the way home. Did some baking for Monday, the new oven is bloody marvellous, as in it works, heats up quickly and cooks/bakes to perfection. I did have to do a pre oven clean before I could use it and also had to follow procedures for the dishwasher to run with salt and rinse aid, but not with detergent. The door pops open when it finishes.

51 Sunday I'd had enough of the state of the house, so all the builders stuff packed up from the lounge and put in one corner, conservatory cleaned, new rails and curtains hung, arm chair is in there until the builder removes his stuff then I can put the chair back, get the chairs down from the spare room and have a usuable dining room again. The fridge/freezer is in the old dining room which is used for storage, we'll donate it once the new one arrives and is fitted. Downstairs thoroughly cleaned, we had dinner early and went to watch Death on the Nile at the local cinema.

52 Monday Up early, did some blogging, a quick visit with grandchild, then off to the Things for the first time in ages. Thing 4 will be 3 in June, I've hardly seen her, but her mum is fab at keeping in touch and updated with the kids progress, as well as photos and sent some really cute videos of Thing 4 asking to see us both, I took a picnic lunch round and the cakes I'd baked. I had to go to the flat to meet a contractor for quoting for repairs to the damp.

53 Tuesday I had a Doctors appointment in the morning. As she suggested I'm journalling everything, it'll be in a separate blog post, I'll link to next week. Needless to say I wasn't happy when I left. I went to ask for a repeat prescription for migraines, left with a flea in my ear. Went round the neighbours in the afternoon.

Video call with Grandchild 1

54 Wednesday We were supposed to be in London tonight to watch a recording of QI, however I had to go back to Monmouth to the flat, the property management team and all owners were on site. It will be an insurance job from leaking pipes in one of the flats where the landlord didn't get it repaired, he's picking up the bill. I met a friend for coffee, afternoon and evening spent in front of the TV.

I've been making these for friends and family.

55 Thursday I had a telephone interview with a journalist about why I'm continuing to wear a mask, socially distance and sanitise hands. Blood tests in the morning as requested by the GP I saw on Tuesday who read my notes and realised I needed them. Went round the neighbours in the afternoon. The rest of day spent in pjs on the sofa with laptop and TV remote.

56 Friday Day spent in pjs tidying up. Man came to quote for roof repairs. Insurance assessor said it was loose mortar redirecting water into the attic. Roofer who climbed up on the roof said it was the main roof from the loft conversion. He's coming back next week to take a proper look and quote. Evening spent with chips and wine with neighbour.

Not good to hear him muttering 'oh dear'

On the blog this week:

How and what I'm celebrating in 2022

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Post Comment Love 25th-27th February 2022

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Lifeat139a and I. This is a weekly post where you can link up with any blog post on any subject with only 2 main rules. Please make sure it's written this week and please leave a comment on either of the hosts posts (mine or Stephanie's) and at least one other post.

I leave a comment on half the posts every week, as well as most weeks sending out a link to your post with the hashtag #pocolo. Many of you do follow the rules, but it gets a bit disheartening to comment on a few posts each week who never return the love. Which is the essence of Post Comment Love.

It's been a busy week for us with family, a trip to London to watch QI being filmed, more work in the kitchen, flat sale progressing and the hole in the roof is still there.

I start a new job on Monday as a Teaching Assistant in a Secondary School for 30 hours a week, term time only. I'm done with actual Teaching now, too much additional work to be done in your own time. I'm really looking forward to it and meeting new people. I will be wearing my mask in communal areas and when moving around the school.

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What I'm celebrating in 2022.

I like to mark the seasons with decorations and gifts. It doesn't cost a lot other than time and some of the decorations I have are years old, others are hand made or I've picked up cheaply.

There are also birthdays to celebrate throughout the year, with the dog turning 12 this month and the cat 13 next month. We're combining their parties in March as travel and then covid with others scuppered our plans. But the dog doesn't know or care and neither does the cat, if the truth be told. I'll be baking some dog and cat treats.

So far we've only acknowledged Valentines Day. I made bunting and stuffed hearts and posted a box of love to one grandchild, our eldest child and visited our grandson for a long weekend. The bedroom window was decorated.

I did travel to Birmingham to purchase the material but I picked up other things I needed at the same time.

Next up is St David's Day, because I'm Welsh and pancake day.

I'm sure I'll end up getting involved in Red Nose Day as I'll be working in a school.

We'll acknowledge Ramadan in March and Eid as we lived in Dubai for 7 years.

Then there is Easter. My neighbour gave me the grey fleece and I bought bright yellow duster for £2 which I'm going to turn into bunnies and chicks that will be sewn into bunting.

There are chocolate eggs bought, plus named bunting to be made for 2 more family members. I'll also be making easter chocolates.

Mothers Day will be a table set with a tea pot, cup and cakes. Then there's the Jubilee, which will involve at least the front of the house being covered in bunting. Then Father's Day, a Sunday roast with as many of the kids and grandkids as we can gather. We'll also be celebrating 20 years of marriage in October.

I love Halloween and Bonfire night, we'll acknowledge Remembrance Day and finally Christmas.

I enjoy making decorations from items around the house and in the garden. Collecting the pebbles is the hardest part.

January 2022 in words and photos. Getting my craft on.

If you read my blog on a regular basis or follow any of my social media posts you'll know I publish a photo a day for #Project365, that I call #OneDailyPositive.

This is my 8th year of doing this, originally set up upon moving to Dubai from South Africa to motivate me to get out the house daily and find something to be positive about.

I do get out doors a lot, with dog walks and cups of tea outside even if it is raining, I just sit inside the shed door. but due to a kitchen refurb I've spent most of my time in my craft room on the top floor. Originally child 5s bedroom. The other room is used for storage, originally a rather expensive loft conversion for child 4.

I thought I'd share with you some of the things I've been making and plans for things to come.

So I started by recycling my lockdown crafts where I used items around the home. I'm still doing that but now I have all my furniture in so time to get my bake on and sewing machine in action.

MIL knitted the panel, I turned it into a cushion.

Alice in Wonderland inspired door.

Getting everything sorted and in order makes sewing so much easier.

Overlocker in for repairs.

Now I remember why I don't do zips.

I bought these curtains for our grandson, but they needed altering.

Always measure twice

and cut once.

Iron everything before sewing, makes it so much easier.

Neighbour requested a padded name for her daughters room

I of course now have to do Great Nephew and

both Grandchildren.

The boy next door turned 2 so I baked dinosaur biscuits and made toppers for the cakes. I had to bake next door.

I've already started to plan what I'm making for Easter, we're also making blinds for the kitchen and I'd like a notice board for the kitchen that will be a joint effort and once we reclaim the conservatory when the kitchen is finished I've got curtains to make for there.

I've also been making cards, mainly recycling old ones and I can't wait to get in the kitchen and do some more baking.

Are you creative? 

Week 5 One Daily Positive and Project 365

Kitchen install is getting me down, it's taking so long as everything is handcrafted for a seamless fit. Rewired, re plastered, new plumbing, outside tap and plug socket installed and a new concrete window sill cast ready for the wooden sill to go on. Can hardly move in the lounge which still has an oven sitting in it. I'm either out or up on the top floor to get some space and order.

I've had a migraine all week. Although I've been able to do things, I do then badly, I take a long time doing things and I spend a lot of time in between tasks with a heat bad, medication and lying down in a darkened room.

29 Saturday Having gone to bed with a migraine (cause yet unknown) we popped out to Dunelm to purchase blinds and exchange bedding (I bought the wrong size) had coffee and Gluten Free cake in the Next cafe. Home to a bath and spend the rest of the day lying on the bed and/or sofa.

Despite the chaos downstairs, there is always room for a cat and dog.

30 Sunday Awake at 6am, downstairs to blog, head still a bit groggy. Off to the flat to finish the cleaning, dog walk in the Forest of Dean with child 2, his wife and our grandchild then back to theirs for dinner, home late and straight to bed.

Bob desperate for small person to wake from their nap so he can play.

31 Monday I stayed in all day apart from a visit to the neighbours early evening. I sorted gifts and cards for posting, made some stuffed letters for grandchild and great nephew, sorted through my material box and admitted defeat with trying to salvage my Nan's sewing box and rehoused everything.

A simple design fault. 2 separate cupboards so no thought went into which way the doors should open, both on the left. Will be rectified, just waiting to swop a door.

32 Tuesday I popped out early to go to B&M and Aldi on the outskirts of the city centre, but I got in the wrong lane and ended up in the centre of Worcester, shopped in B&M and Asda instead and home by 10.30am. Sorted out some emails, bills and made a start altering a pair of curtains for our grandson.

Any bit of sun and they're in it, they did argue over what they considered to be the best bit.

33 Wednesday Coffee date with a Dubai expat was cancelled so I went into town anyway to post a parcel to child 3 in Australia. Quartz work tops installed and room has to be left sealed until tomorrow, so builder went home and isn't back till Friday. Afternoon spent cleaning, crafting, sleeping and evening spent in front of TV blogging.

It would appear a Hobbit has moved to Malvern.

34 Thursday We caught the train into Birmingham, I wanted to buy some material and Peter wanted to visit the fish market, we grabbed a coffee and had a picnic on the train on the way home. Evening spent in front of the TV.

Been looking for this type of material for ages.

35 Friday Coffee date rearranged I walked into town and back, I decided to take the dog with me as he's allowed in this coffee shop. Still got the migraine. Dropped my overlocker in for repairs and took my DBS to my new job. I said I'd like to start after half term, they seemed a bit shocked and told me the other candidate starts on Monday. They shouldn't have asked me for a starting date then.

Fridge, freezer, washing machine and hob to be installed. Tiling and fascias to be done by the end of next week.

On the blog this week:

I get fed up of people complaining to my face or behind my back about the content I post on Social Media, if they don't like why don't they just scroll on past? If I'm not your target audience just scroll on past

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If I'm not your target audience, don't follow me. FOMO and POMO

I get fed up of people complaining about some of the content I post. I over share in my blog, I take too many pictures of cups of coffee. 

My reply EVERY SINGLE TIME. Please feel free to unfollow/friend/mute and stop stalking me on every social media platform because you suffer with #FOMO.

Yes real life people say this to me. It irritates the life out of me, more so than their MLM, look how much I earn posts, but I don't comment, I just scroll past. 

If I post a picture of a piece of cake, a coffee or even a full meal, behind the picture I'm telling a story. In fact that's what my whole blog and social media is about, to share day to day life as it happens, when and where. I also share my thoughts and feelings.

This however has caused issues in the past also, comment to other people, like Chinese whispers getting back to me, slightly twisted, via 3rd parties who then share their concern from the other person with me. But what's worse is people sharing what I say with people I'm not even friends with or have chosen not to have on any of my social media channels. It might be a public platform, but it's as annoying as hell when my life gets shared as gossip with people I don't want in my life. TBH that happens often with face to face real life conversations also.

Then there are the people who assume I'm talking about them, with a sub tweet or message in a post, that rather than ask, just go off on one. I have a wide circle of friends, around the world. I have a very large family when you add in all my children's family from my first marriage. I have a wealth of experience from where we've lived, exposure to many different cultures where I may question something, because it differs from how I would have done it. From marriage, to raising a family, finances and even food eaten.

I learnt a new hashtag a few months ago #POMO and I think it applies to me in regards to social media. I left all the facebook groups I'd joined, too much stress and all the problems I didn't have but others were forcing onto me, concerns I should have about my dog being snatched from my hands as so and so's friends mothers, next door neighbour had read something in another facebook group I might like to join.

#POMO means Pleasure of Missing Out

Here's a typical example of the 'crap' I share online with the story behind it.

Walks with #bobthedog in the UK are far more interesting, even with the graffiti, dumped trolleys and litter. It’s safe to walk (wouldn’t go here at night) not hot (ok sometimes it’s rains but that doesn’t stop us) we meet people who smile and say hello or stop for a chat and we can get coffee on the go or sit for a while.

The range of gluten free foods in coffee shops and most supermarket cafes is poor. Usually crisps, chocolate or over priced pre packed cake bars. Today we’re in @nextofficial in Worcester as last time I was there I spotted a whole Gluten Free cake ready to be sliced. It doesn’t disappoint.

The days of 'showing off' as it's also been called from living in Dubai and South Africa with views of the Burj Al Arab on a coffee stop or walks out in the desert with the dog are long gone. I do find that people are less interested in things they're familiar with, but also view photos from South Africa and Dubai as holiday pictures, forgetting that behind the scenes life is pretty much the same as theirs with washing, ironing, cleaning, work, dog walking etc.

I'm taking #POMO with holidays, I don't want the stress or the uncertainty of travel abroad during covid and I've turned work down due to this. I'm happy walking out my front door, visiting the same places, doing the same things, posting pictures of my coffee and my dog and living an unedited, unfiltered, uncomplicated life.

And if something in here concerns you do feel free to contact me directly, if you're reading this you do actually have the means of finding me to tell me. If it's not your cup of tea, then I assume you're not reading this bit anyway and you've just scrolled on by.

Post Comment Love 28th-30th January 2022

Welcome back to #PoCoLo with Stephanie from Lifeat139a and I. Sorry for the delay with commenting and sharing, hopefully I'll have caught up by the the time this post goes live.

The kitchen is still being installed, so we have a temporary kitchen in the conservatory, the new kitchen in the lounge and the rest of the kitchen plus a table and a sofa in the dining room.

It sounds chaotic but it's working, but I will be glad once it's all over and everything can go back into its rightful place. I'm fed up of washing up in the bath.

I'm spending most of my time on the top floor in my craft room, amending curtains, making cards and generally keeping myself out the way during the day.

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Week 3 2022 One Daily Positive and Project 365

I had my first time in a small space with mostly strangers in a village hall for a party and not wearing a mask. First time I've done something like this in a long time. We did attend a wedding in June but it was socially distanced and masks were worn in the church and an outdoor garden reception. The wedding disco was held a few months later, but in a large and well ventilated hotel and most people enjoyed the summer sun on the terrace outdoors. 

I've not been feeling well all week since eating a donut last Friday and birthday cake on Saturday. I never had stomach issues before with wheat, only migraines, but I've had a bloated belly and indigestion. I won't be doing that again.

Kitchen installation in its 3rd week, but to be fair we've stripped it right back, had new electrics and lights, plumbing and plastering done. The back wall is finished and the base units are all fixed in place.

15 Saturday Neighbours 2 year olds birthday party in a village hall, lovely afternoon and I got to meet some new people. I decorated and iced cakes and biscuits and helped set up and tidy away.

16 Sunday We took Child 1 out for a Sunday lunch and purchased the wall tiles for the kitchen.

Presents from child 1 for us, her brothers and niblings.

17 Monday Early start for my job interview, they telephoned within an hour of me leaving to offer me the post, subject to DBS check and references. Will start sometime mid February. I walked home via the coffee shop. Nothing happened all afternoon other than watching the TV. Negative LFT.

18 Tuesday I spent the morning with the DBS check and submitted my self assessment tax return, then took Bob for a walk up the hills with a friend and her dog and sat outside for a coffee.

19 Wednesday I walked to the laundrette with my trolley, very impressed. Washed, dried in an hour and al for £6. Did some blogging, paid some bills, made some birthday cards and wrote letters. Negative LFT.

Everyone loves the colour, however this is just the protective film and we keep wishing we'd gone with this colour now.

20 Thursday Off to Gloucester to meet DIL and grandchild for some lunch and shopping.

21 Friday Another trip to the laundrette with the towels for the past 2 weeks, rest of the day spent pretty much the same as Wednesday. Chips and wine in the evening with friend and then kept awake late into the night after a 999 call to report criminal damage at a property opposite.

I've rediscovered my love for toasted sandwiches

On the blog this week:

Everybody has good neighbours? Don't they? Well we do.

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