Goodbye October

Don’t normally say goodbye but it has been an interesting month.

Happy meetaversary

Eleven years ago I meet the love of my life in the corner of a teeny tiny pub in Oxford.  I was prepared to meet the love of my life that night, in fact all I wanted to do was get a takeaway and sit on the the sofa and slob out.  I can never resist the call of distress so I slogged over to Oxford from Stanstead airport and had a great night and me the most wonderful man, who has enhanced my life greatly.  Stuart (yes I know I’m using his real name) is a kind, funny and lovely guy with piercing green eyes and a warm and tender smile he is the greatestan I have ever met.  

Guess what’s open?

The building was finished 14 months ago but due to wranglings with the council over flood defences, well done Calderdale for standing your ground, the opening was delayed unt today.  Finally Todmorden gets to experience a brand new shiny Lidl.  It is wonderful, the aisles are wide and fully stocked, there is much more choice.  It is probably because everyone else was still still work but there were more than four tills and they were all open and staffed.  For now let us just enjoy it, the reality checks can be cashed in later.

PS; yes we did feel foolish taking photos, but what the heck.

A modern family get together

I love how technology has allowed us to have quick get together seven though we are hundreds of miles apart and in different time zones.  

I can’t keep up

We received the survey today, needs a new boiler; check, the widows and doors at the back are rotten; WTF, there are no inspection reports for any of the utilities; okay, there is a possibility that their is asbestos in the ceiling; no, no, no!  

I freaked, I considered pulling out, GO talked me down, wound me up, freaked out and then talked us both down again.  Worst case it is asbestos then we get it sorted, it’s probably artex, it can be removed.  Best case, it says it’s a possibility, they are just covering themselves.

Houses built before 1999 could have asbestos in them, it can be lived with as long as it’s not tampered with.  Time will tell whether we have made the right decision but it’s a great house and will make an amzing family home.

Can you get nature on the NHS?

I recently read that doctors are prescribing nature to patients to help with mental health conditions.  I do love being outside and have found this week or so being confined to the house has been absolute torture.  So today after I mistakenly turned up to my doctors appointment three days early after fasting for twelve hours, I convinced GO to take a wander.  We made our way to the Brun Valley country park and it was absolute bliss.  It was peaceful and so very quiet.  As most children are still at school it was empty.  There were signs of autumn everywhere and Incouldnt have been happier.  The walk was easy and so I didn’t feel that I was pushing myself.  All in all I agree that nature should be prescribed on the NHS.

TMI POST

Posted this to the OvuSense group, usually a very helpful and sensible group of ladies, let’s see what responses I get?  I’m expect at least one l, oh my god go to the doctor at once post.

Bit of a TMI post, sorry 😐 

I’ve had brown spotting for six days now. Once I got over the delusion that it may have been implantation/ovulation bleeding I stopped using the sensor.  My question is when do I start the new cycle as I’ve had no real “red” blood it’s all been old brown blood.  I don’t want to google the question as the answers can be scary. 

What is happening

I popped into the supermarket and cannot believe what you can buy these days.  I think the world has gone nuts.

Wine for pets!!!!

Christmas tree flavoured crisps!!

It’s kismet

When we seriously started looking at houses a couple of years ago (to get out of the Minlaw’s) I found a house it was perfect, I drove over to have a look liked it, GO liked it, then it was taken off the website.  About a year or so later the next door house went up for sale.  I didn’t go round I knew where it was.  I called the estate agents and tried to make a viewing, I missed a call (I was shopping), I called back, it was sold.  I forgot about it, told everyone that it was in a dodgy area (it wasn’t) I consoled myself and was determined to be more proactive next time.  Nothing came up and then low and behold, I had a little look on the website and it was back, number 3, I sent an email immediately (it was Sunday night) GO called the next day and arranged a viewing for Tuesday.  We loved it and by Saturday had put in a offer which was accepted the same day.  Now we wait for solicitors and surveyors, we have done everything we need to do.  We just need to wait and keep dreaming.

It’s just a coincidence right?

Well we started watching The Haunting Of Hill House.  It was creepy, no spoilers, but I coped the only way I know how, I hid behind the pillows and read the plot on Wikipedia (there was too much creepiness not to be prepared).  

This is an actual photo of how I watched the show.

After the fifth episode, (we’d been watching all dayish) I couldn’t watch anymore.  I needed to give myself a break and a shower and somehow shut my brain off.  It didn’t work I freaked myself out.  First  I was sat closest to the cellar and we all know how scary cellars are I panicked and imagined things happening.   Then the clock on the mantel peice which had died at some point over the weekend began ticking mani style, it

ticked at double the usual speed.  I was creeped out and decided to go to bed.  Not half an hour later the door to my wardrobe, which had a dress hanging on it began to open slowly, GO couldn’t see the door but could see the curtains billowing in the wind.  I was just settling down, although bursting for the loo but too scared to go, when GO’s bedside light turned it self off, then five minutes later on again.   This happened all night long, until he unplugged it.  My logical side knows it was dust (they are touch lights and his side is ridiculously dusty) but, well, you never know. Why did it all happen the night we watched that film?

I’ve never watched them all in a row

“I’ve never watched them all in a row!”  When I asked GO if he’d ever had a Harry Potter marathon, he admitted he hadn’t.  Well £40 later I had downloaded all eight films and we began.  I don’t know how or when we’ll watch them, but I would like to watch all before Halloween.  Now that I’m unfit for work I’m sure we’ll be able to fit a few in.  Today’s episode is the third The Prisoner of Askabar (as GO calls it).  He is engrossed.

I’m getting excited

Okay I will now allow myself to get excited, I’m going home to see my Mamilein and Papichen, I don’t usually go in the half term but as they came over to us this summer I decided that I would travel over for a few days.  I am excited to taste a German Herbst.

Rum Cake

Once again this year, I’ve had requests for my Rum Christmas Cake recipe so here goes:

Please keep in your files as I am beginning to get tired of typing this up every year! 

(Made mine this morning!!!!) 

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 cup brown sugar

Lemon juice

4 large eggs

Nuts

1Bottle Rum

2 cups dried fruit.

Sample a cup of Rum to check quality.

Take a large bowl, check the Rum again to be sure it is of the highest quality then repeat.

Turn on the electric mixer.

Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.

Add 1 teaspoon of sugar, beat again.

At this point, it is best to make sure the Rum is still OK.

Try another cup just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy.

Break 2 eegs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the fruit up off the floor, wash it and put it in the bowl a piece at a time trying to count it.

Mix on the turner.

If the fried druit getas stuck in the beaterers, just pry it loose with a drewscriver

Sample the Rum to test for tonsisticity.

Next, sift 2 cups of salt, or something.

Check the Rum.

Now shit shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.

Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.

Don't forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window.

Finish the Rum and wipe the counter with the cat.

Living with intent

Being unfit for work has given me a lot of time to think.  While personally I am in a good place, professionally I think I could feel better.    I am overwhelmed by anxious thoughts most days at work and I need to make changes.  Rather than running away I am looking into changing my mindset, starting with a bit of intentional living.

Simple Swedish Apple Cake

What to do when you have been told you are unfit for work?  I have spent three days on bed rest but today I felt a bit bored so I decided to make a cake.  It all went swimmingly until I tried to use my new tin and it leaked all over the oven.  I’ll clean it one day, until then I am enjoying some gooey cake and cream.

But it’s only a headache

I woke up and knew I couldn’t go in I heard the start of an aura.  My head was pounding, I went to bed and made an appointment to see my doctor. The appointment was for late afternoon so I made the decision to not go in to work the next day either.  As I sat in the chair and explained my headache, and the fact that I had felt quite dizzy the previous week and had had a numbness/tingly feeling in my hands in early summer she asked about blood pressure.  “Oh!  It’s always been quite low.”  I assured her, she looked at the monitor and took my blood pressure again, hmm, she tried another machine. “It’s quite high, they’re all the same.”  She asked questions about my family and said, “I’m a bit concerned about your blood pressure.  Is it high because you’re ill or are you ill because it’s high?”  She mulled it over.  I just came in for a headache tablet.  “Right well I’m going to sign you off for two weeks to give you time to relax and recuperate then we’ll test you again.”  That was it, just like that, I’m unfit for work and will not be in for two weeks.  

Another bombshell

I had a missed call, again, from our estate agents.  I called back and they said that the survey won’t happen until Friday “which is too late.”  Late for what?  She then said that actually in our circumstances it probably wasn’t too bad.  Reassured, slightly, I hung up.  Half an hour later she rang back and said that the 19th was a proposed date and that because no one from the agency had got back they had given it to someone else.  So now we had to wait until 24th October.  This is going on and on.

This made me chuckle

I needed this, this week especially.  It made me chuckle and it is spot on, well said Mr B.

Plans for the day?

Well I am really liking the plans I had five years ago, it popped up on Facebook and swap Narnia for a Hallmark movie and I’m good to go, now just got to drag myself out of bed, to snuggle on’t sofa 😂😂😂.

Only ten days left, don’t worry it’s not a countdown, honest

I’m tempted to do a countdown to the half term break but I feel it fills up my blog with unnecessary posts that only I see, so I will just say here and now there are only ten working days left until half term.  That seems doable, even if I have another monitoring visit the first week back!  All because I work with people who are incapable of playing, but I may go into that another day.  To cheer myself up I’ll put ten happy photos here, one for each day left of the term.

It’s only 8.22 and I need a nap

How’s your day going?  Yes I know it’s not even half eight on a Saturday. 

I’ve been up since half six 😤 (needed a wee) so I decided to make a coffee, I made a tassimo it, it smelled divine, I went to add sugar but added instant coffee instead 🙄.  

Made myself another coffee, snuggled up in bed, thought to myself this is an Insta worthy

moment (such a ponce) but came to my senses and put the phone down.  I was just snuggling down catching up on JenBenz’s South American travels when I  took a sip of the coffee and spilled it all over myself and the duvet (brand new duvet and my barginous Laura Ashley cover) 😡 so I’ve changed the sheets.  I’ve only been awake two hours...

I need a rest now!

 😂😂😂

The Last Drop Village

I saw a brown sign with The Last Drop Village on it, I was curious.  I decided that we needed to check it out, it probably wasn’t anything special.  It turned out to be a leisure village with some small shops and a tea shop.  I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit but if I went for a walk and ended up there I wouldn’t be too sad.

Bavarian Bakery Bolton

We got there just before closing so that all that was left pretzels, but at least they are German. We’ll be back.

Great Customer Service

“Excuse me this cup is a little bit dirty could you change it please, thank you.” I look up a few minutes later to see her running her fingers around said cup, wiping it with her apron and then I am convinced she just plopped same said cup back on our table!  Not what I call customer service when the cups were on a shelf behind her!!! 

It’s a shame because the tea shop was lovely and we’d go back anytime, we’ll see.  How could you not go back to a place called The Last Drop Village?