Football

The stiffness that I expected on Friday hit me this weekend. I have not felt like moving much at all. I've still got a few bits done, though. I did a little washing (on a Sunday!) and I'm faced with this.

Bear seems to have had an incident with a green pen. I have some stain remover, but I'm not sure that it's worth trying. It's one heck of a stain to remove. There are also some pale spots on his trousers that look a little like paint or something. He's going to have to go to school in them tomorrow. The marks are barely visible, but I can see me having a conversation with him tomorrow.

Mind you, he's in my good books. He put one of the trellis arches together, but he was fed up as the struts were bending so much. In fact, we dumped the third one in the recycling. I shall be looking for something sturdier for the mass of honeysuckle currently growing up on the side. The one he put together (incredibly well and pretty quickly) bent and is currently being propped up by the bins. 

I'm picked up some washing line tomorrow and I'll tie it to the lamppost.

My internet is still glitchy. I'm trying to watch the Women's Champions League (Chelsea are losing by four goals to Barcelona at half time, they need a Liverpool-style miracle to come back) and I keep getting kicked off. 

Speaking of Liverpool-style miracles, there's been another one. Liverpool are known for their comebacks when it matters. Today Liverpool's goalkeeper scored their winner, in stoppage time, and with a world class header. Anyone who missed it but enjoys soccer should check it out on YouTube. It was a stunning goal by a goalkeeper. Forwards would have been proud of it. It's times like this when I really miss father. He would have loved it.

On that note, I think I will have an early night.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Nearly Got There

 This may be less than flowing, as my computer is having a glitch day.

Sarah - thank you! I have a lot of eczema, so dandelion salve is probably not for me. If anyone wants to read about the proper use of herbal remedies, Sarah's blog is here. She is incredibly knowledgeable, while I'm not sure that I'm a good example in such matters. When it comes to stuff like herbal salves, and practically anything involving actual ingredients, I take a 'near enough' approach that may just about work for things like casseroles but it can't be trusted with something more important. Sarah is much more reliable.

Wherethejourneytakesme - I looked at Sketchers. I have always been a bit cheap with shoes, and I suppose I'm paying the price now. I may see if I can try some on  if I have a good day. On bad days, I can't get socks on - lymphodema - and I don't like trying shoes on barefoot. I feel your pain with formal stuff. 

There has been some rain here. Bear and I were out. I did a little pruning and I potted the tomatoes (not particularly brilliantly, but at least they are done. The pots held some mint that was not doing much at all. I tipped the tubs out next to the trees opposite, on the grounds that it couldn't make things much worse and there was already a drift of beer cans and crisp packets. I need to crack on with fighting back the weeds. 

Bear started putting together the arches, but the rain got too heavy, so we came in. After that we had a wonderfully calm afternoon, and bear had an early night. At least, he went to bed.

I can smell smoke. It's driving me nuts. It smells sort of like cigarette smoke. Given that next door at the back have had some very loud rows with threats to burn the house down, this isn't reassuing. However I suspect that I may be getting cigarette smoke from their house as I am next to the chimney which can have a draught, and that is next to their cellar, and it really hasn't been the weather to smoke on the doorstep. I had a little sniff around the kitchen and there wasn't anything there. It seems to be concentrated near my chair. I can't relax now. This isn't helpful as I had bad sleep last night with a lot of nightmares and I could do with settling down myself. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Keeping Moving

Fifitr - I hadn't heard of the granite trail. I shall have to look it up. I love looking at old buildings, but I haven't got a clue about architecture. When bear was younger, and we were on the bus in Leeds, we used to look up at the buildings on Park Lane and nearby and point out the statues as Weeping Angels from Doctor Who.

Wherethejourneytakesme - I am deeply envious of your daughter. I haven't been there often, and never blessed with a glimpse.

Val - it was awesome, and lots more shopping opportunities left!

Today has been quieter, of course. I picked up a parcel that had been delivered to Matalan, which was heavier than I had expected. I felt a complete wimp as I staggered the few yards from their car park. Next time I shall bring my car around and put around 0.2 miles on the clock.

I also called in on the farm shop as I wanted some eggs for DH. I noticed that they had plants for sale, so I will be sorting out the garden this weekend. Well, theoretically at least. The way my plans work out, anything could happen, but I'm hoping it will be the garden. I'll be getting rid of at least some of the weeds anyway. I picked up three tomato plants while I was at the farm shop. They were 95p each (Blue Hill Farm on the A58, Birstall, if you are passing). I will see how they do. They look healthy, but I am not a caring gardener.

They had an alpaca and donkey grazing near the car park. I tried to take a pic of the alpaca, but the donkey kept photobombing, and I was having trouble seeing the screen with the way the light fell.

Speaking of weeds, I saw a video on YouTube about making Dandelion flower salve for aching joints. I asked bear if he would like it for his joints, because I could make some. The expression of mixed baffled incomprehension and utter rejection and revulsion was a triumph of teenagerdom. I may still make it for myself. 

I checked out the Salvation Army charity shop in Batley but didn't find a vase that I fancied. I plan to try a different charity shop every day I'm doing a school run. It will mean that I get some exercise at least, if only walking around car parks. Bear has forbidden me from buying anything for him, but I'm sure that I'll find something that's needed now and again.

When I was lugging the box back to our house, I realised that two or three years ago, it would have been impossible for me. I could not have done it. I couldn't have walked around like I did yesterday either. If I had tried, I would have been crippled today, and I wasn't. I have new slippers with memory foam in them, which helps, but I am in a better state than I have been for years. I'm not in a good state, I should add. The free step counter on my phone had me walking around 5.5km, or 3.4 miles. That isn't a lot for an entire day. I should easily do double. But it is a start. 

Now all I need to do is follow through with plans. I let you know tomorrow if I manage to do anything at all in the garden. 

Hugs and good health to all.

Today Was a Win

 Sharon - thank you.

Today was a win. I dropped bear off at school, had a quick wipe over the car and then off and met my friend. We were looking for charity shops. I want a vase and she wanted, well, to have a look. We had a wander around Hebden Bridge with their market, and then went on to Huddersfield where we had a wander around there. We had a lot of gossip to catch up on.

It was nice to get out and about. Kirklees have some great covid signs, by the way. I keep meaning to take pictures of the six footballs or two cricket bats that demonstrate the two meters we should stay apart, but I found this.

Felix and Bolt are the Huddersfield Railway Station Cats with a significant internet following - their facebook page is here.

I drove 62 miles, some of it down extremly narrow, single car width lanes with passing places. I went up some serious hills and down them. I took corners that were ridiculous and I had an absolute blast. I even got up to around 55mph on the dual carriageway at one point. What is even better, I didn't buy much. I picked up some black bread for DH, which he really likes, but I didn't pick up anything else. That, for me, is a big win. 

Then I had a wonderfully quiet knit in Morrison's car park while I waited for bear, and then drove home. I made dinner straight away, got washed up and now I am abot to collapse.

It's a win.

Hugs and good health to all.

Taking the small wins

Kev - I suspect that you are right. I can't see it as urgent, though, in this medical crisis. Thank you for the hug.

Wherethejourneytakesme - I'm impressed at what you do with your resources! It's quite inspiring.

Still tired, but ticking over. The thunderstorm last night was epic and it was a wonderful feeling to lie warm in bed with the thunder and lightning safely outside. Bear slept through it. Bear had a hospital appointment today (routine physio, all good), but that took the morning. Then I spent most of the afternoon trying to get my internet connection to play nicely. This evening has been a little washing and the sewing bee. 

There seem to be a few rumbles of thunder around this evening. It could be people reclaiming their bins after bin day, though. The thunder was so loud last night that I honestly thought a nearby building had been hit, and I'm still a little worried that the trees opposite will be a target. They shouldn't, as they are at a low point, but they are in such a state that I don't want to rule anything out.

One thing I did was clear a very small corner. There wasn't much to move, just a few bits and some odds and ends to throw away, but it was stuff that I had been ignoring for months. If I can keep doing more of that, the house will end up much better. It wasn't a significant difference, but it was a positive difference. I'll keep an eye on that corner and keep moving things that get dumped there. I'm taking it as a win.

Hugs and good health to all. 

Ready to Hibernate

 Thank you for all the kind wishes. I feel hugged.

Witch Hazel - I got tested for thyroid years and years and years ago, and it turned out that I was a whisker above the threshold for treatment. 

I am still tired. I've titled this post Ready to Hibernate and that's how I feel, even though it's May. I can give a few plausible explanations. One is hormonal. When I had regular periods, I had dreadful PMS at times. I wasn't snappy, but I was shattered. I used to feel the energy draining from me and I could never get much done. I'm moving (very slightly) more than normal, which could have an effect. This could be coupled with a reduced calorie intake. I'm trying to lose weight (v necessary) so I'm watching what I eat. It could be the after effects of the abscess on the tooth plus antibiotics because it can take a while to bounce back. It could be a tail end of the effects of Covid. I've struggled a lot since I had the virus (probably - it was before testing was widespread) last year. It may be a combination. Whatever it is, I'm going to bed after posting this.

I didn't manage a walk, but I called in for a few bits in Tesco and Aldi, and I've done a few tiny bits here and there. I managed to get a load of washing done as well. The school run was a little nerve wracking. The morning was okay, but the weather in the evening was atrocious. The roads were running with water and it got a little scary.

Bear isn't helping. His schedule is random, so I can't really plan what I'm doing. And, of course, he's a teenager. This morning he gave me a cheerful grin, told me that he was getting the booster today and could he have a short sleeved shirt for school. This was around fifteen minutes before we were due to leave. By some stroke of fortune, there was one clean, ironed and hanging up. I nearly got rid of it last week. I wonder what surprises I'll get next?

Hugs and good health to all.  

The Start of Another Week

 Wherethejourneytakesme - thank you.

Today hasn't been too bad. I dived into Morrisons for a few bits. They didn't have what I wanted, but I did dump the tiny jars into the glass recycling. I remembered to take a pic first.

Then I went for a brief walk where I managed to get a blurred pic of a squirrel. There were a few of them around this morning. 

After that I stopped in a car park I had never used before in Cleckheaton, where I looked into a charity shop (nothing I wanted) and a yarn shop (lots that I wanted but nothing I could afford). Then there was the farm shop for eggs and the co-op for the rolls that DH likes. I've had both jabs, and I'm using sanitiser, so I'm hoping I'm okay. I'm hoping for a good look around Cleckheaton at a later time.

For some reason I feel extraordinarily tired. I managed to put on one wash, and tidied a very little, but even the massive thunderstorm just after lunch didn't seem to revive me. I didn't even make dinner as I had to take bear to his activity and so it was snacky food all round this evening. 

I am now about to crawl off to bed. 

Hugs and good health to all.