Friday Five!

Tequila, bong.  Tomatoe, tomahto.

Hahahaha. Well I never!

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Hahahaha. Well I never!

Really?  Never?

No way I can catch up on four years of Friday Fives, so just going to wade in here from yesterday. Sorry I'm late.

I had to ask PB this morning what a Blizzard Party was exactly. You just keep any actual blizzards to yourself down there!

Well done to Nan for passing her driving test, and for heyjay on starting to learn! I was really bad with that when I came here. Even though I'd been driving in the US (and driving a lot) by that time for 26 years, driving here totally freaked me out. So I put if off for 5 years, which only made it that much worse. Better to just go for it from the get go & not overthink. I still don't feel comfortable driving here (makes me anxious) & much prefer taking public transportation or walking, but there you go. It does get better when I don't overthink it - but that's a problem for me. However, walking is good for me.

Hooray for UKY's hero Rick Stephens - well done on saving that girl.

Gin - I never used to like at all. To think about drinking gin or having a G&T, seemed it was like licking paint thinner. BUT we were in Majorca a little over a year ago, and husband ordered a G&T in this swish bar we were in - it was one of the more citrussy ones, and I really liked it. Now I *am* into G&Ts, but I found it just depends on the gin really - oh & the mixer, try different tonics. I don't like the more traditional ones. I tend to prefer Spanish gins, like Gin Mare or some Larios. We have a lemon drizzle gin right now that's nice. And I've had a lovely blood orange one out somewhere - can't remember the producer. So I like going to those bars with a "gin menu" & seeing which ones are nice. I can tolerate the occasional pine tree one now, if it means getting to a better one eventually. You appreciate those more. 

Not sure I can come up with 5 things that are mildly interesting but will try...

1) We did our Thanksgiving last Saturday, so all done with that. (Okay I might cook something just for us on the day.)
2) We were out Tuesday night for French food with our Greek friends.
3) It was a pleasure to turn the calendar over for November, revealing a month with very little planned. Refreshing change!
4) I made a sourdough loaf yesterday - had not made bread yet this week so we were missing it. Next up (today), making parkin for Monday & will probably make some scones for this weekend.
5) My husband thought he'd arrived home to the 1950s last night, a bit surprised to greet me with my hair up in rollers. Well 1950s or present day Liverpool, you decide! Ha. I sent a photo to my Scouse friend & told her I was turning Scouse. It was an experiment - just trying something different. It didn't work out.

Costco came through.  Sold out in store already but purchased online (shame as it would have been cheaper in store).

24 bottles of gin and no tonic hiding behind any windows.  SOLD!   

https://www.costco.co.uk/Food-Wine-Household/Spirits/Gin/Gin-Advent-Calendar-24-x-5cl/p/245794

Happy Friday! Third time I'm trying to post this so far. Our PC is seriously messed up or just doesn't like me anymore. Keeps serially restarting & giving me the blue screen of death. Husband thought he fixed it - it worked for him, but now we're back to the nonsense. Oh well, have moved onto mobile, but I'm fed up of tiny screens. Anyway...

1) Proud of my hubby for his 10k Sunday - he completed in 53:01. Was 24 seconds more than last year's but I still think it's fast for 49 years old.
2) We had a fun bonfire night & curry afterwards, but I'm pretty "meh" on curries other than the ones we make at home. This one was no exception. There's one restaurant I like but we were trying a different one.
3) I was chuffed to pull up a 70kg deadlift on Tuesday morn - something I'd been working towards. That means I could pick up my husband, if he were balanced like a barbell. Heh. I guess the next big one will be when I can lift 100kg, but I expect that'll take me awhile to get there.
4) Then we both promptly took ill with lurgy on Tuesday night, thereby proving that exercise is bad for you. 😂 Husband has fared okay with just a mild sore throat, but I've had a cruddy cough and fever. Not been up to much since.
5) Anyway, yay Friday & we're having pizza (homemade) tonight.

1 I am very impatiently awaiting my passport to be delivered. I'm hoping me posting this will magic it to me like my citizenship acceptance letter that magically appeared after I moaned on here

2 work is getting increasingly terrible. Since the restructure I have gone from loving my job to loathing it

3 tiny human has been so defiant this week, which has resulted in her trapping her finger in the sewing machine table (one where the sewing machine folds into a table), cutting her head on the radiator, banging her head into a door frame, and falling down the stairs.....because she won't listen when I tell her to stop.

4 tiny human's Christmas pictures are being done tomorrow. Hopefully she smiles  this year instead of screaming and crying like last year. Those were a wonderful waste of money.

5 it's Friday, so at least I can drink a bottle of 2 of wine

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4) Not sure if this qualifies as positive or negative, both I
     think......End of my day at work I physically kept a young
     Girl from jumping from the multi storey car park. Held
     her until the police came.

OMG, I just read this.   I know that car park is a 'popular place' for someone to want to end their life and you're an amazing hero. 

Missed last week's thread because I was in London with work for the day in workshops, but just want to say Congrats nan! (even though it's a late congrats) and OMG Rick! I don't think you'll ever even realise how great what you did was (even if that girl doesn't feel like it's great right at this moment). Well done to you!

My Friday 5 this week is:

1. I've been teetering on the edge of being sick the last 2 weeks and it's really annoying. I either want to be sick or get better. I hate being stuck in limbo. Today I'm migraine city.
2.  Going to go to my friend's house for a "girl's night" (in that her husband is out of town on work so it's just us). We're going to order pizza and watch Hocus Pocus! (we both missed watching it on Halloween). I cannot wait until the end of the day! lol Might be going to the pub after if I can be bothered. Some friends invited us to the one nearby to our house and Rik is going to go but I've just been in the position the last few weeks of wanting to be super low key as I need to recharge my batteries from the work week and I'm just struggling to want to be in crowded social situations.
3. Work is not getting better and I am going to be applying for jobs this weekend I think.
4. No movement on the house despite a few viewings and no feedback (apart from one older couple) to say there's anything actually wrong with the house. We've made peace with the fact we won't be moving for a LONG time. We have - on a positive note - made progress on the en suite. It's nearly finished!
5. Been trying to update my blog with travel updates from Japan. It took me about a week to get everything written, reviewed, and uploaded with photos picked out. It's still not perfect in my eyes, but it's a start. Going to try to write the second part this weekend. My problem is that I always think "oh yeahhh. Now is a good time to sit down and write!" until I actually sit down to do it and think "...there has to be many other things to do instead..."

WRS!  70kg deadlift?!  That's amazing!  And I like how you're all, "So now I know I can lift my husband if..."  A good goal, to be sure.  And respect on his consistent 10k time.  You guys make me sick.    (In my defense, I literally have 25% of the lung capacity I should have, so everything I do is exercise.)  Enjoy your pizza!  Pineapple makes the best topping. 

JennyEye, tiny human is learning.  I mean, that's some real consequences for her actions.  Not great for you to watch your tiny human go through, but I bet she's figuring stuff out.  Good luck with the Christmas photos. 

KoD, when I was in school, I purposely would book a day in my planner where I said "no" to everything.  I just marked it out as "busy".  I tried to do it every other weekend, but definitely no less than once a month.  On those days, I would sleep in, then when I woke up, I'd sit on my couch watching TV or playing on the Internet, eating comfort food and relaxing.  I would just shut out the world for 24 hours.  No friends (other than my roommate), no activities, no homework, nothing.  If I left the apartment, it was only to go get junk food.  I loved my recharge days.  Even socializing wears a person down.  It's nice to just stop every once in a while.

My five:

1. I've worked through the finger pain at the guitar, now.  The problem is, now I have to relearn how to do all the other things that required the use of my fingertips, that now have no feeling in them.  I struggle to pick things up from a tabletop, now!  And my fingers feel weird.  You ever put PVA glue on your fingertips and let it dry?  It's like that, only I can't have the satisfaction of peeling it off.

2.  I understand my guitar.  Like, I get how the fretboard works, and I can make music.  I need to practice (a lot) to get muscle memory/dexterity with it, but from a cognitive perspective, I know how to play guitar.  Yay!

3.  My sister has discovered that she can access Facebook from the office, and while she's in Afghanistan, her hours are much closer to my hours, so we've been chatting a lot the last week or two.  It's pretty awesome, because we're both too lazy to sit down and write out long emails, so when our timezones don't work, we don't really communicate much.  The last time we got to talk this much was right before my husband started his new job and stopped commuting during the week (I kept very bad hours while he was gone during the week, so I was able to be awake when my sister was available).

4.  The mice are back.  They've taken to stealing rotten food and scraps out of our food waste bin, so now we have to close it and put a lid weight on it at night.  I'm worried they'll start chewing through the bin soon.  The council gave us this one for free when we moved in... would they give us another?

5.  I spent £101.04 on my Tesco shop this week.  It arrived Wednesday.  We are already out of chicken breast, after two meals in.  And I didn't buy beef mince.  How do you spend £100 on food, and then have to wonder what you'll be making for dinner two days (three meals) later?  It just isn't right.  I'm clearly doing something wrong.

Friday!!

1.) The usual.  WORK    .
(I'm sorry to see this is coming up as a common thread in this Friday Five this week)

2.) My hubby is away for a few days starting on Sunday and I've taken Monday off from work (as a recharge day!). So, I'm getting to eat food filled with dairy, take five hours wandering around the grocery stores, and watch what I want on the box. Just like the old days.   .

3.) Meeting my mates on Monday night for our folksy/bluegrassy/classic rock/celtic jam    (You can join us someday JFKimberly!) 

4.) So far so good with the advertising and fundraising for my charity Christmas Tipsy Tea party  for the Elise Normington Foundation. I am just blown away by generosity and kindness.   

5.) House of Bruar annual sale on tomorrow. Hubby dresses like a country gentleman always, so he wants to get some new shirts and tweed and Barbour and whatever.  So even though its a good drive down, we will be doing that tomorrow afternoon.  (After I go to the gym... though I'm definitley not deadlifting 70 kilos  ) Remind me to bring the electric coolbox and icepacks, so I can hit up the food hall.      

2.) My hubby is away for a few days starting on Sunday and I've taken Monday off from work (as a recharge day!). So, I'm getting to eat food filled with dairy, take five hours wandering around the grocery stores, and watch what I want on the box. Just like the old days.   .

3.) Meeting my mates on Monday night for our folksy/bluegrassy/classic rock/celtic jam    (You can join us someday JFKimberly!) 

Recharge day!  YAY!

Ohmigosh, I hope to one day be decent enough to be able to just get together for a casual jam.  Did I say what my goal is?  The reason I want to be good?  It's not just because we wanted to make a guitar one day (though, that's how it started).  It's because we were watching people play together (like, famous people who are very good at what they do), and I remarked to my husband about "the thing"... proper musicians (not pop stars) who are doing it for love of the music, when it's going well, there will be at least one moment when they'll just really get into it... they often look at each other, they always nod, they may smile.  But you can tell that it's just pure bliss... just appreciation for the sounds they are making.  I want that feeling.

Tangentially, I hate peaches, but every time I see my mom and sister eating a peach, they make it look like the most delicious food in the universe, and I want that feeling!  So every once in a while, I try peaches again.  I don't get it.  Peaches are not delicious.  But my family do "the thing" when they eat peaches, so I'm confused.

Anyway, I want to get good enough at guitar that I can play with others without making them wince, and then I want us to do the thing.  That's my goal. 

KoD, when I was in school, I purposely would book a day in my planner where I said "no" to everything.  I just marked it out as "busy".  I tried to do it every other weekend, but definitely no less than once a month.  On those days, I would sleep in, then when I woke up, I'd sit on my couch watching TV or playing on the Internet, eating comfort food and relaxing.  I would just shut out the world for 24 hours.  No friends (other than my roommate), no activities, no homework, nothing.  If I left the apartment, it was only to go get junk food.  I loved my recharge days.  Even socializing wears a person down.  It's nice to just stop every once in a while.

I honestly wish I could do that but it feels like even on weekends there is always SOMETHING going on or work around the house that needs doing so it's difficult to just say no to everything but that sounds HEAVENLY.

Glad to hear you're getting to talk to your sister more regularly! and that your guitar came!! I missed that one somehow hah


PB - hahaha do you get rushed through the grocery store as well then? The Jam-sesh sounds pretty cool and I'm glad to hear the fundraising is going well

PB - hahaha do you get rushed through the grocery store as well then? The Jam-sesh sounds pretty cool and I'm glad to hear the fundraising is going well

I think we all get rushed through the grocery store!  Who knew that was a thing?  Now that I have the car, it's been soooo nice.  Except, the only shops local to me are B&M, Food Warehouse (by Iceland), and Aldi.  So it's not like a lot of lingering needs to happen.  Their selections aren't exactly expansive.  One day, I'll drive into Llanelli or Swansea and go to some proper shops.  Maybe.

Oh yeah, I am hurdled through the grocery store with much sighing and tutting if I stop to look at anything!

So relieved that it's not just me! Thought my husband was just exceptionally impatient with grocery shopping haha. He's like "there are far more things I'd rather be doing on a weekend than grocery shop so we basically have to sprint through the whole place with a mapped out list and very little room for side tracking.